


Start Here

by AnEquivalentExchange



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist (Anime 2003), Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Androids, Angst, Brotherly Love, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Mustang's Team, Parental Roy Mustang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:01:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 39,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24206368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnEquivalentExchange/pseuds/AnEquivalentExchange
Summary: Everyone in Central had heard of the vigilante Fullmetal. Roy Mustang was no exception. All that was known about him was the unique gadgets he would often leave at crime scenes. Rumors of the technology prodigy spread, that he had crafted his own metal prosthetics to the large metal android that followed him everywhere and called him "Brother." And he was the last hope Roy had of closing his latest case. AU!
Relationships: Alphonse Elric & Edward Elric, Edward Elric & Roy Mustang
Comments: 21
Kudos: 187





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is an old work I wrote and posted on ffnet several years ago. I'm reposting it here now!

_"Start by pulling him out of the fire and_

_hoping he will forget the smell."_

- _Start Here,_ Caitlyn Siehl

* * *

The sun had peaked in the sky hours ago, and it was now at the specific time of day when its angle allowed rays of light to directly flood through the room's large picture windows, spreading warmth through the office. Due to its position in the large room, the colonel's desk received the most sunlight and cast an elongated square shadow across the light filtering through the window. The patch of sunlight was most soothing at this point in the afternoon, and the colonel sat behind his desk, allowing the sun to warm his back. His arms were crossed and resting on his desk, atop a pile of unread papers. His face was buried in his arms and had been for a while; a slight snoring sound could be heard every time the man inhaled. Luckily, the door to the inner office had been closed for some time and so his subordinates could not witness the colonel's lazy doze in the middle of a workday.

It wasn't until there was a knocking at the door that the colonel was disturbed from his slumber in the middle of the comforting patch of sun. "Hmm—huh?" He sat up quickly, regaining consciousness immediately due to a life of being a soldier, spending quite some time on the battlefield. His war instincts never fully left him.

"Colonel Mustang, sir—" The door creaked open enough for the head of a blond lieutenant to peak in.

Roy sat up straighter. The top piece of paper from the pile clung to the dried drool on his chin. He smacked it away and it fluttered onto the desk, landing askew on top of the pile. "What is it, Havoc?" he commanded. He gestured to the pile. "As you can see I have a lot of work to get done."

Second Lieutenant Havoc smirked around his unlit cigarette and stepped into the office, closing the door behind himself as he did. "Aw, c'mon, Boss, no need to lie."

Roy frowned at the statement and rubbed at his chin at the blond tapped his own, gesturing to the drool that was still visible on the colonel's face.

 _"Anyway,"_ Havoc continued as he closed the gap between them. He stopped before the colonel's desk, casually putting a fist on his hip and pulling the cigarette from his lips. "This is related to those papers you were supposed to be reading."

"Has there been a break in the case?" Roy asked, not daring to hope but silently praying the frustrating case would soon be coming to a close.

The lieutenant nodded, his eyes closed nonchalantly. "It would appear so." He continued, "There was a robbery reported recently by the electronics store down on Madison Street. Seems the perpetrator got away with more than a hundred thousand cens worth of goods. However, it seems that he is now engaged in a battle against Fullmetal. The MPs have already been notified and are on their way now to defuse the situation before things escalate and civilians are put at risk."

The colonel was already up before his subordinate had finished speaking. He strode across the room and grabbed his coat. "Havoc, alert the team and pull the car around. This might be our chance to catch him."

Lieutenant Havoc watched his superior move across the room, still standing at his spot next to Mustang's desk. "You mean the thief or Fullmetal, sir?"

Roy pulled his coat on, turning to look the blond in the eye. A satisfied smirk made its way to his face. "I mean _both,_ Lieutenant."

* * *

This was bad.

This was really bad.

Edward ran several more yards before rolling to the ground, narrowly avoiding the whipping wires that shot out, trying to hinder the boy from moving.

As he turned back around to see his adversary, Edward decided this had passed _bad_ a long time ago; this was disastrous.

The masked man was dressed in black; his eyes were the only visible feature of his face and they were trained on Edward. The man pulled his hand back and the wires retracted, whipping around as wild as when they had shot out. With a loud zipping sound, they found their way back into the man's mechanical glove.

Edward looked around, trying to create a way to block the man's next move. His supplies were running low and his attacker had just received an entire trove of weapons from his latest raid in Central City. Ed could see the man was armed to the teeth; various gadgets were peeking out of the pockets of his coat and beneath its unbuttoned flaps.

The boy had obviously underestimated his opponent; he realized that now and would berate himself if he had the time to think. Instead, he just _did._

Without hesitation, Edward ducked his head and sprinted back the way he had come, straight for his attacker. His hand skimmed the pavement of the alleyway, grabbing the blade that had fallen from his arm a few moments before, during the man's previous offense.

With a quick swing of his arm, Ed let the blade fly from his grasp. It sped through the air. But the robber had quickly gotten over his initial shock of Edward's speed and was able to easily evade the projectile, only receiving a graze on his beefy, right forearm.

Ed watched the blade's path as it passed his opponent and a large hand reached out behind the man's back and grabbed the object out of the air.

Ed smiled mischievously; the man glared in confusion at Ed's change in demeanor for an instant then quickly spun around, coming face to face with his second opponent.

"Nice catch, Al," Ed said coolly.

"You!" the man finally spoke, in an incredulous shout. "I thought I already got rid of you!"

And it was true, Alphonse's metal exterior had taken quite a beating before. He had been knocked out of the fight for several minutes, but Edward was glad to see him up and going once again. He felt a swell of pride in his chest, watching as Alphonse moved so swiftly. "You can't get rid of me _that_ easily."

In an instant, he had the man's arms pinned behind his back with his own large, metal ones.

Edward stopped, resting his hands on his hips and still breathing more heavily than normal. But still, he smiled. "Alright. Good wor—"

The man reached up, blood dribbling from his forearm and collecting near the elbow of his sleeve. He placed a gloved hand to Al's chest plate, to a patch where the metal casing had been blown off, showing the armor's inner workings. He stuck his hand in before either Elric could do a thing, and suddenly a large shock ran through the large metal form. Sparks shot out everywhere and Edward caught the scent of ozone as he ran forward, calling Al's name.

Alphonse shook in place for a moment before his arms went limp and his large body crashed loudly onto the pavement.

"Bastard!" Edward yelled. Heedlessly, he sprang forward, his metal prosthetic connected with the man's face so hard it jolted Edward all the way up to his flesh shoulder. Edward tripped from his momentum and came crashing down along with his enemy.

The young blond swore, ignoring the stinging in his hands and knees, and scrambled to get up off the ground before the man, in an attempt to get the upper hand. His opponent was still lying stunned on the ground, groaning and breathing heavily, cupping his nose in his gloved hands.

Edward stared down at him for a moment, deciding whether he was still the biggest concern at the moment.

After a hesitant pause, Ed covered his mouth with the crook of his elbow then pulled a small metal sphere from his belt and thrust it onto the hard ground. The capsule burst upon impact, immediately flooding the alleyway with a thick layer of smoke. At least now they would be more difficult to find; it would give Ed enough time to examine his brother before the man regained his senses and was after them again once more.

His lungs pinched and Ed suppressed a cough. "Alphonse!"

He skirted around where the wounded man was hidden under the smoke and moved toward his brother. There were wisps of black smoke emitting from the cracks and holes in the metal body, mingling with the white fog polluting the air. Ed waved his hand, trying to expel the smoke from his view. Al was still convulsing every few seconds as the electricity ran through his circuits and shorted-out his systems.

Ed felt his own body begin to shake as he worriedly looked down at the damage.

No…

_No._

He _had_ underestimated his opponent this time. Ed had been too reckless, too sure of their own skills.

He reached out a hand shakily, not sure where he was going with it but feeling the need to reach out to his little brother.

Would he even be able to fix Al after this? Or would he lose him?

No, not again, Ed didn't think he could handle—

A blunt force hit the back of his head, and Ed toppled over Al's body. Dizzily, he turned around. He had a difficult time focusing his eyes, but he could see the man standing now, blood dripping profusely from his obviously broken nose as he emerged from the dissipating fog.

Ed stood, shakily. His body swooped to one side and he grabbed onto the brick wall of the alleyway to steady himself.

Seeing a glint of silver in his peripheral, Ed looked down, discovering Alphonse had dropped his blade on the pavement. Ed grabbed it, mentally cursing the bastard out for breaking it off his prosthetic in the first place and ruining his ingenious creation.

Tossing the unnecessary thought from his mind, Ed rushed at the man, raising his arm to slash at the man with his blade.

Suddenly Ed was tumbling backward, skidding painfully across the pavement. He felt his left arm pounding aggressively with the beating of his heart. He looked down to find the man had ejected the cables from his glove and they were now tangled around Ed's bicep.

"Dammit!" the boy yelled. His head swiveled from side to side, looking for an escape. The blade had flown from his grasp and was now out of sight; releasing himself was not an option.

Ed was on his feet before his plan was even fully formed. He ran from his attacker and jumped, his arms outstretched. He grabbed onto the lowest rung of a nearby fire escape bolted to the wall of the alley. His shoulder ached briefly where metal met flesh as Ed's weight threatened to make him fall.

Before he could give his hands the chance to slip, Ed began to climb. He heard the deep ring as his metal hand grasped every other rung of the ladder. Soon he was yards above his assailant.

He was near the lip of the roof and he could feel the wire around his arm growing taut when he heard the familiar whizzing sound. Ed turned around just in time to find several more wires quickly shooting toward him.

He didn't have time to move; he didn't have time to gasp or curse before they were on him, hopelessly becoming entangle around his body.

The force of the impact caused Ed to wobble and he lost his balance. He was air-born and free falling. The pavement was a fast-approaching blur of black. Ed closed his eyes and covered his head as if that would protect him from a forty-foot drop.

Ed let out a loud cry as he suddenly stopped midfall. He bounced for a moment, jostling his body further. After a moment of confusion, he looked up—or down—finding himself dangling several feet above the ground.

His body was swaying violently from the fall and sudden stop, but he was able to grasp that some of the wires had wrapped around his body while some had twisted around the ladder's rungs, breaking his fall; Ed knew he must have looked like a hopelessly tangled mess right then.

The swaying of the world had stopped for the most part and he was now twisting slightly from the wire, but through all the discombobulation, Ed was able to find his opponent.

The man had pulled a flap of his jacket aside and pulled something off his belt. He flicked his thumb and a blade shot up from its handle, glowing an entrancing neon color. The man put the knife to the cables near the knuckles of his glove and they easily melted from the blade's hot touch, like a knife taken to softened butter. They fell to the ground with a thud, and the man was now free. He flexed his fingers for a moment and surveyed the glove before looking up and giving Edward a malicious smile.

"Thanks for the exercise, kid." He turned, putting his hands in his pockets, and began striding down the alley.

"Hey!" Edward yelled after him as if a free criminal would come at the call of a child vigilante. He grabbed at the wires and thrashed, trying in vain to untangle them but only succeeding in making himself dizzy.

Ed immediately stopped once he realized it was useless. He watched the man's receding figure for a moment more before reaching down and undoing his belt. "Like hell you're getting away," he muttered. He pulled the last two smoke bombs he had attached to his belt into his hand. He eyed them hesitantly. He was really running low on supplies, and using these might be a waste. But even if it was a waste, it was a risk Ed was willing to take.

He tied each end of his belt to one of the spheres and reeled his hand back. Ed took a moment to calculate his throw due to the odd angle and then let the makeshift bola fly. It flew through the air and began to arc; Ed felt his heart leap as he watched. It wrapped itself around the man's legs just as his wires had wrapped around Edward and he came crashing down with a surprised yelp.

Ed pumped his fists into the air with a triumphant laugh. When would these guys learn not to mess with Edward Elric?

* * *

The car sped down the road, heading straight for the scene of the fight.

"Where were they last seen?" Roy asked.

Lieutenant Hawkeye spoke up from the driver's seat. "About three blocks down from Madison Street, sir. In an alley off of Main Street."

"Those damn MPs better do their job this time," the colonel muttered, resting his chin on his fist as he gazed out the window at the flashing scenery.

Havoc chuckled from the backseat. "I doubt they need to, Boss. Not if Fullmetal's involved."

Roy sighed. "He's making the military look bad. Apprehending criminals before we even get the chance. Then disappearing before anyone can get a word in with him. He won't come in for questioning, he just disappears after he thinks he's done the city a favor."

"'Ey, lay off 'im, Boss. He's a hero 'round these parts."

"Fullmetal?" Fuery questioned innocently from his seat next to the second lieutenant.

"C'mon, Fuery, pick up a newspaper, will ya?" he responded. "A few months ago the police started finding criminals all tied up or knocked out and whatnot not long after committing their crimes. It was usually petty crimes, theft, disturbing the peace, you know, stuff we don't really deal with. Apparently, this guy Fullmetal had decided to take it upon himself to stop the dredges of society from wreaking havoc on the city. He doesn't ask for anything in return. He just stops the bad guys and then he's on his way. He's like Central's honorary superhero."

"Why do they call him Fullmetal?" Fuery inquired.

Havoc shrugged. "Lots of people have described seeing a young man walking away from what is later found to be the scene of where he caught the criminal. Many of the accounts have stated that he had a metal prosthetic in place of his right hand." The lieutenant held up his own hand to show. "But," he drawled, "I've heard many people have also seen what could only be described as a robot or a suit of armor leaving the same scenes. So no one really knows who Fullmetal is or if he's really more than one person doing all this work."

"You seem to know a lot about this guy, Havoc. Are you idolizing a vigilante?" Roy asked coolly.

Havoc raised his hands defensively. "There are a lot of slow days at the office now that this guy's stopping criminals before things get out of hand. Gotta do something to occupy my time." He grinned. "Besides, reading the paper is a lot more acceptable than sleeping on the job, Colonel."

Roy turned around in his seat and glared at his lieutenant. Before he could open his mouth, the car stopped.

"We're here, sir," Hawkeye announced.

Roy looked out the windshield. They had stopped just outside the entrance of an alley. The scene was swathed in the dark blue of several MPs moving about.

Roy stepped out the car and his team followed. He pushed through the crowd, using his title to help him advance quickly.

Once he broke through into the alley, he stopped. Several officers were in the process of handcuffing what seemed to be an unconscious man.

Roy stalked over to them, turning to one of the MPs that seemed to notice him. The young man saluted as Roy approached. "What is the status of this situation?"

"The suspect has been apprehended, sir. No need for further action at the moment. We will be taking this man into custody and later for questioning."

Roy frowned. "And how did you capture him? What happened to him?" he asked, gesturing to the fact that the man was unconscious. The suspect's head lolled to the side as several MPs attempted to lift him. He had a nasty cut on his forehead and a broken nose, additionally there was blood splattered on the pavement. Roy hypothesized that the man must have fallen in his attempt to escape.

"He was like that when we arrived, sir," the young officer continued. "However, we did find this," he hefted up a long piece of leather in his hands, "wrapped around his legs. It seems he had been caught before we had arrived, by the man that is commonly referred to as 'Fullmetal.'"

Roy's frown deepened. "Let me see that." He took the odd object from the man's hands before he could even respond. Roy examined it closely, coming to the realization that it was a brown leather belt. Tied to each end was a silver sphere of metal that, if Roy had to guess, was a capsule of some sort. "And I suppose this 'Fullmetal' got away once again?" Roy muttered to himself, his mind still preoccupied with his curiosity for the odd weapon.

"N-no, sir," the MP began awkwardly. He lifted a hand and pointed over Roy's shoulder. "He's over there."

"What?" Roy exclaimed, turning around. His eyes scanned over the scene happening on the other side of the alley. Several MPs were gathered around a bundle of wires intertwined through a fire escape ladder and an object that was swaying slightly from the ends of the cables.

Without another word to the officer, Roy turned on the heel of his boot and made a beeline for the scene.

The officers all parted once they realized who was approaching. They all shot him worried and confused looks as he passed. Roy only came to a stop when his eyes landed on the thing swaying from the wires.

A young boy, he couldn't have been more than twelve years of age, was wrapped up in the thick cables. He swayed slightly as an MP let him go upon noticing Roy. The boy's arms dangled limply toward the ground as well as his blond bangs. His face was turning red, no doubt from being upside down for quite some time, though Roy decided it could have also been attributed to the scowl on the boy's young face and the overall look of utter displeasure in his demeanor.

The boy's peculiar golden eyes were trained on Roy, narrowing with suspicion. Roy found his own eyes moving down from the boy's face to his hands. His eyebrows raised slightly as he noticed the shiny metal of the boy's right hand.

"So you're Fullmetal, huh?"

The boy's frown deepened with sudden disdain. "And who the hell are you?"

Roy smiled, almost endeared by the brashness coming from such a small boy. He couldn't look menacing if he tried, not from the position he was in right now. "Colonel Roy Mustang," Roy answered, trying to remain businesslike even though the thought of finally coming face to face with the "hero of the people" and finding out he was just a child made Roy want to laugh at its ridiculousness. Roy lifted up the belt he still held in his grip. "Did you make this?"

"Hey! Give that back." The boy reached forward but only succeeded in making himself sway more.

Roy smirked. "I'll take that as a yes." He ran a gloved finger along the leather belt, coming to stop at the end, where one of the metal balls was tied. "What about these?" He grabbed the sphere and lifted it up, allowing Fullmetal to see.

The boy crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, causing his hanging body to jostle slightly. "Maybe."

Roy nodded, impressed by the kid's inventiveness and apparent skill for technology but not willing to admit it out loud. "Here," he said after thoroughly examining the sphere and finding no way to open it or make it function.

Fullmetal took the belt back with no word of gratitude. He looked down at his handiwork, rubbing his finger over one of the knots. "Good. I thought these might have detonated when I threw them," he said, seeming to be in his own little world. "I guess that's one less thing I have to worry about fixing."

Just then Roy heard several gasps from behind him. He turned to find a large metal figure approaching through the parted crowd of stunned MPs. It was just like Havoc said, Roy mused as he watched the figure move toward him. His eyes flicked down to its hand, seeing a glint of a knife in its grasp.

Roy's body tensed to move just as a shout came from behind him.

"Al!" Fullmetal yelled.

Roy turned back to look at the kid, whose eyes were no longer on the colonel. There was worry and relief written across the boy's face as he watched the armor approach. He reached out his hands. "I-I thought you were a goner—I-I didn't know…Al…"

The metal figured apparently called Al spoke up. "It's o-okay, Brother. I-I'm fine," it said in a voice that should have belonged to a young boy, not an imposing metal man. "Th-there d-does seem t-to be some d-damage to some of my circuits tho-ough." His metal body seemed to be twitching slightly, though it seemed to be attempting to repress it. It could not, however, hide how jerky its movements were.

Fullmetal frowned again. This time, however, it was not a scowl, but a look of concern. "We'll have to look at it tonight. I know it might not be pleasant for you, but I'll figure out how to fix it." His voice wasn't barking now either; it had taken on a softer tone that made Roy stare in confusion at the boy's sudden change in demeanor.

Al finally reached the dangling boy and Fullmetal rested upon its shoulder, exhaling now that he wasn't entirely upside down. The armor held the boy safely while its other hand reached up and began severing the cables with the blade it held.

Once freed, Fullmetal allowed himself to relax against Al's metal. "Thanks, Al." He tapped its chest plate fondly.

"O-of co-ourse, Bro-ther."

Roy approached the two, breaking up an oddly touching moment. "Alright, you two, explain what happened here."

It was impressive how quickly the sour look returned to the Fullmetal boy's face. He glared down at the colonel. "There was a criminal. We saw him. So we had to stop him." The boy shrugged innocently. "We were just doing what any good citizens would do."

"Good citizens would have called the police and stayed a safe distance from any suspected criminals like they're supposed to."

"And just let that bastard get away like all the others? Look, you work for the military, so you probably know this, but there has been some suspicious activity going on in Central lately. A lot of electronic stores being robbed, a lot of crooks getting away. Something's going on here, _Colonel_ ," he sneered.

Roy frowned. "How the hell did you know all of that?"

Fullmetal remained quiet, suddenly find that moment to be a good time to inspect a broken part of his steel prosthetic. Roy allowed the silence to drag on, noting the boy's growing discomfort.

Eventually, the young man spoke up. "Can we go now? The bad guy's been caught, we're not needed here anymore."

Roy shook his head. "You were never needed here in the first place. You should have left this to the military. We don't need citizens doing the job of the police. Now, why have you been taking it upon yourself to be stopping criminals? You're just a child."

"Why does it matter that I'm a child?" the boy yelled, suddenly enraged.

"Brother-er! Calm d-down—"

"You should be _thanking_ me! I've been stopping these criminals for months! And I haven't asked the military for anything in return either."

"Is there something you want from us? Is that why you're doing this?"

"No!" the boy answered petulantly. "I don't want anything from the damn military, I just want us to be left alone!"

Roy scratched at his chin, thoughtfully. "Hmm, that's too bad," Roy mumbled without realizing he had spoken aloud.

Fullmetal grew still. Suspiciously he looked over at the colonel. "Why?" He eyed the man. "Is there something _you_ want?"

Roy tapped his chin. "So you really are Fullmetal, are you?"

The blond looked down at his hand, obviously aware of where the title had come from. "Well, I'm not really fond of the name…"

Roy tipped his chin toward the prosthetic. "How'd that happen anyway?"

Fullmetal was immediately pulled from his deep thought. "None of your damn business."

Roy raised his hands, trying to pacify the boy. "Alright, fine. But it is a very impressive piece of machinery." He eyed the boy for a moment before taking a cautious step forward. "Did you craft that yourself?"

The boy looked up; Roy was expecting fireworks once more but he was met with a pair of somber golden irises. Fullmetal's eyes flickered back down to his hand when he responded. "For the most part, yeah."

Roy nodded. Just as he had expected. He gave Havoc grief for reading up on the kid but Roy had done his fair share of research on the case of this intriguing young boy as well. From what he was able to gather, Fullmetal was both a prodigy and a whiz when it came to technology. From the leftover weapons forgotten at crime scenes, it had been inferred that this peculiar "Fullmetal" had found a way to create his own effective weapons for taking down criminals.

Each device was ingenious and advanced in the field of technology even for a progressive city such as Central. Roy hated to admit it, but this kid would probably be their best bet for closing this case as soon as possible. Now it was just a matter of swallowing his pride and figuring out a way to phrase it to a boy who seemed to loathe the military he was inadvertently helping.

In the end, it was Fullmetal that prompted him. "Anyway, can we go now? Or is there something _you_ want?"

Roy inhaled and paused. He exhaled a deep sigh before looking the boy in the eye and sincerely stated, "I need your help."


	2. Chapter 2

The word monolithic did not do Central Command justice. Edward wasn't sure he'd ever seen a building so big, much less ever been inside one. He found himself craning his neck up to look at the tall ceiling of the hallway. One wall of the long hallway was lined with floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the space with early morning light, giving it an almost dreamlike feeling. The rug beneath Ed's shoes was plush but worn from the countless boots that had walked across it in the past.

On the way to their destination, they had passed several large but always closed mahogany doors as well as many blue-clad soldiers; many were too preoccupied to notice a child in the military center but still a handful openly stared at the boy known as Fullmetal.

"Pretty cool, isn't it?" Alphonse asked beside Edward, a smile audible in his voice.

Ed chuckled. He looked up to his brother's helmet which was slightly obscured by the bright light filtering in. "I'll say."

They had entered the building not ten minutes before but the vastness of the command center had yet to wear off for Edward. Sure, Ed had seen Central Command numerous times during his months in Central. It was impossible to miss considering how its height caused it to loom over the rest of the buildings in Central, like a guardian watching over the city. However, most of the center had always been blocked by its surrounding buildings and Edward had never actually been close enough to it to appreciate its size and glory right before his eyes.

So when that Colonel Mustang had asked them both to come to the command center to be briefed on the case, Ed couldn't help his curiosity and eagerness. Although he had rolled his eyes at the man's ease at using military jargon while having a civilian conversation when he had asked the boys to arrive at the command's entrance at "eight hundred hours sharp."

From there, the Elrics had been greeted by a blonde lady who had introduced herself as Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Ed had caught a glimpse of her at the crime scene just the night before. She gave them a pleasant smile as Ed introduced himself and Alphonse, but her demeanor still remained quiet and unreadable.

She led them up through the entrance of Central Command and easily navigated through its many hallways. She made pleasant small talk with the Elrics for a few moments, treating them both with respect and not showing any disdain over the fact that he was still a child and an unwanted vigilante; Ed was aware that many of Central's forces seemed to turn their noses up at him for that title. Ed decided he liked this woman; though he would withhold his trust until he was certain this wasn't some sort of trap. After all, being here wasn't entirely by choice.

Still, for the moment, he allowed himself a childlike awe as he took in the interior of such a prestigious place. And he almost crashed right into the lieutenant when she stopped abruptly at a closed wooden door that was identical to all the others they had passed along the way.

"Here we are," was all she said before pushing the large door open and allowing her guests to step through first.

The office inside was fairly large—Ed wasn't sure what to think of it. It was fairly tidy around the edges, and in the middle was a group of desks where most of the activity and clutter was occurring.

All at once, however, the movement in the room stopped and four pairs of eyes trained on the Elrics.

"Men, this is Edward and Alphonse Elric. They will be assisting us with the case." Hawkeye brushed past the boys before turning back to them and saying, "I'll let the Colonel know you're here." She disappeared behind a door on the other side of the office that Edward hadn't even noticed until now.

In the silence that ensued a voice spoke up. "So the Colonel wasn't lying? You really Fullmetal?"

Ed turned to see the four soldiers seated at their desks where all work had been halted for the moment. The one that had spoken was a blond man that Ed had seen last night as well. His blue gaze curiously moved from Ed to his brother then back to him.

Ed felt his cheeks flush slightly. Begrudgingly, he gave a jerky nod, not bothering anymore with trying to explain to military officers that he wasn't exactly fond of the title they had coined for him.

The larger man beside the blond let out a low whistle, his eyebrows raising. "Damn."

The blond next to him laughed, leaning against his desk and sticking out a hand. "Alright, Breda, pay up."

The man named Breda cursed as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a 2000 cens note, depositing it into the man's outstretched hand. "And I thought the boss was just pullin' our legs."

The door to the inner office opened, and the soldiers immediately turned back to their work, the bet completely forgotten as Hawkeye reemerged. With a hand on the doorknob and her body inadvertently blocking the room from view, she turned to Edward. "The Colonel would like to you see now," she announced before returning to her desk across from Breda.

"Right," Ed said, trying to sound mildly uninterested. He unconsciously pulled at his sleeves as he and Al entered the room, hoping no one noticed the air of slight trepidation that followed him.

Colonel Roy Mustang was sitting languidly at his large desk, one elbow resting on its wooden surface and his cheek resting against his fist as he slowly leafed through an open case file. His dark eyes flickered up after a pause. "Well, Fullmetal, I have to say I'm a bit surprised you actually came."

Edward crossed his arms indignantly across his chest. He heard Alphonse close the door behind them. "Like I had a choice," he challenged.

Mustang's face remained unchanged. "Of course you did." His eyes drifted back down to the paper he had been reading as he waited for the boys to seat themselves.

Edward stared at the colonel for longer than necessary before crossing the room and falling heavily onto one of the room's couches. The cushion beside him sank as Alphonse quietly seated himself.

"So what is it you want from us?" Ed asked, cutting right to the chase.

Mustang blinked. "You're eager, I see." He closed the file and meticulously placed it on the corner of his desk before turning his full attention to the Elrics.

"Yeah, eager to be done with this."

"I thought you liked stopping criminals."

"Not when it's under the orders of a bastard like you."

Roy moved in his seat, taken aback by the sudden foul language.

Alphonse looked down at his knees, letting out a sigh. "I'm sorry, sir…"

Roy sighed, pushing himself up from his chair. "Moving on," he said flatly as he moved around his desk. "Before we discuss the case, I'd like to talk about you two first." He sat down on the edge of the table in front of Edward and Alphonse, clasping his hands between his knees. His gaze hovered from Edward to his brother.

"There's not much to say," Edward stated bluntly, crossing his arms once again and effectively hiding his metal hand.

Roy pulled his eyes from the large armor and looked over at the young blond. "I wouldn't say that," he disagreed.

The boy turned his head away, staring out the large window behind Roy's desk and purposefully avoiding the man's gaze.

Roy sat back slightly, resting his palms on his knees. He looked back to Alphonse, who was watching him quietly, then turned back to Edward. "Fullmetal, you can trust us. That's what the military is for. We're here to help you."

"For starters," Roy began when Ed didn't respond, "why don't you tell me your name? You did say you weren't exactly thrilled with the name Fullmetal."

Edward didn't even blink, though his eyes did narrow slightly.

Mustang turned away. "So you're Al, right?" He saw Edward's head spin toward him out of his peripheral. Roy ignored the boy and held his hand out to Al.

Alphonse nodded with a surprised "yes" before taking the colonel's hand. "It's nice to meet you."

Roy smiled. "Likewise."

Ed sighed and sunk lower on the cushion. "Edward Eric," he muttered. He jutted a thumb towards Al. "This is my brother. Alphonse."

"Your brother?" Mustang inquired before he could stop himself. He sat up straighter, eyeing the metal boy, who nodded at the question.

Roy raised an eyebrow at Edward. "Care to explain that one?"

Ed's lips pulled into a tight, uncomfortable frown, and he and Al shared a look. In sync, the boys both looked back at Roy as Ed took a deep breath. "He-he's more of an android of sorts…" His voice tapered off as he shifted in his seat.

After a moment's hesitation, Ed stood. "Al, do you mind?"

Al nodded. "It's okay, Brother."

Much to Roy's surprise, the metal boy reached up and, after some fiddling, disconnected his head from his shoulders.

Beneath where his helmet had rested was a network of complicated inner working. Roy could see silver contraptions and colorful wires crisscrossing each other before disappearing deeper into the armor.

Edward stood up and moved to this brother. He took the helmet gently in his hands, turning it in his own until Roy could see its bottom, which looked identical to the space between Al's shoulders. Several wires hung from the helmet's bottom, obviously there to connect to the body and allow it to move and operate.

"I," Ed began hesitantly, "I built him about a year ago. It was the hardest thing I'd ever attempted to create but…I think he turned out alright." His gaze traveled down the android's metal body, which had shut down the moment his head had been disconnected.

Mustang stood up and peered into the armor. He could see gears and wires and interconnected pieces of metal coexisting all the way through the body until they were lost in the darkness. "Incredible," he breathed.

Edward, who was still standing beside him, holding the helmet, replied, "Thanks." His answer was subdued.

A round piece larger than the rest caught Roy's eyes. It was connected to the inside of the android's back, located between where his shoulder blades would have been. "What's that?"

Ed peered inside as well. "That's his motherboard. It's where all his memories, personality, and knowledge are stored. It's basically…his soul. Without that, Al wouldn't be Al."

"Hmm," Roy hummed as he tried to examine the piece through the shadows cast in the armor. Finally, he sat back down on the table and looked at Edward. "And you did everything? Designed it and built it and created his personality and knowledge and everything?"

Ed's eyes seemed to widen slightly. He tossed the helmet to the crook of his elbow and rubbed at his neck with his free hand, his cheeks turning red as he averted his gaze. "I, um, uh…yeah. For the most part, I guess."

Roy nodded, accepting the boy's answer. He reached out a hand to touch the armor. His finger's grazed the shining metal where he knew he had seen a hole after their fight last night; Fullmetal must have been up last night replacing the broken armor. Come to think of it, Alphonse seemed to be working completely fine now, much better than he had been the last time Roy had encountered the boys. He wondered how late Ed had stayed up trying to fix his "brother." He wondered as well how a boy as young as Edward had the means to be able to create so much technology and replace broken pieces in the blink of an eye.

This meeting seemed to be conjuring up more questions than answers.

"So what made you decide to make him? To help you with your…escapades?" Roy raised an eyebrow.

The boy looked down. "No, not really," was all he offered.

Roy decided to leave the topic. Obviously, Edward had his own personal reasons for wanting to create such an advanced and complex piece of technology. It must have held sentimental value if the boy was so easily able to call the android his brother.

"Anyway…can I put Al's head back on?"

Roy blinked at the oddity of the sentence before nodding. "Of course."

Ed reached up and connected the wires and tweaked a few other various pieces, and in a moment the red lights of Alphonse's eyes flickered as if he was blinking upon regaining consciousness.

Ed smiled awkwardly. "Sorry, Al, I know that must be weird for you."

But Alphonse just shook his head with a shrug. "No, it's okay, Ed. I understand."

Ed nodded. "Right." He plopped back down onto the couch. "Anyway," he said, directing his words to Mustang, "Al is basically the most advanced thing I could ever think of. There's not much else besides him. Just a few basic things I've done in my spare time." However, he did roll back his right sleeve, revealing his metal arm and stretching it out for the colonel to view.

Roy examined the outstretched arm, his eyes roving the intricate mechanisms and trying to figure out how everything worked.

"I've never heard you be so modest, Brother," Alphonse said wryly.

"Hey, I can be modest!" Ed pulled his arm back, dragging Mustang from his examination. "Okay, I'm proud of this. It's _cool_. Happy, _Al_?"

Alphonse just chuckled. "That sounds more like you, Brother."

Ed grumbled then moved his attention back to his arm. He pressed a button hidden on his wrist and a thin, flat blade shot out from his forearm like a switchblade.

Roy jumped back at the sudden weapon and Edward grinned widely at his reaction.

"And _this does_ come in handy."

"So that's how you apprehend criminals?" Roy asked. "Engaging them in a battle with that blade?"

Ed shrugged, ignoring the man's disapproval. "Sometimes. I've also developed some ropes, handcuffs, tracking devices," Ed counted off his fingers as the list grew longer, "and a few other prototypes for my prosthetics. Oh—also that reminds me, we're running low on smoke bombs too, Al."

"Ed, we _just_ made a new batch of those too!"

"Not my fault! Tell that to the crooks running rampant in this city. There are so many of those bastards around lately."

"Speaking of which," Roy butted in. He stood and returned to his desk. "We should discuss the case I've called you both in here for."

The Elrics both looked at the colonel with varying levels of curiosity.

"As you both know, several robberies have occurred within Central over the past few weeks. _All_ have been attacks on stores that sell various types of electronics, so we are certain they are all connected. We believe it is the work of a terrorist group, organizing an attack on the city."

"So what do you need us for?" Edward asked, leaning his cheek on his fist and eyeing the colonel skeptically. "I thought you said civilians shouldn't get involved with criminals."

"They shouldn't," Roy shot back. "However, it seems you know more about this sort of technology than anyone around here. We are merely asking for your insight. We need to catch these criminals before things escalate or it could spell trouble for Central. We would like to ask your opinion on what you think they could be plotting considering what has been taken and _why_. We will consult you whenever the case has a new development as well. The only member of this team who knows anything about electronics is Sergeant Major Fuery and this case stumped him before it barely even took off."

"That's it?" Ed asked, almost disappointed.

Roy nodded simply. "That's it. Do that and you will be pardoned from all acts of your vigilantism." He eyed the oldest Elric. "Taking the law into your own hands and using violence instead of going through the legal system _is_ illegal for citizens, you know."

Edward frowned and shoved his hands roughly into his pockets; Alphonse shyly looked away from the colonel. "Right, so what information you got on these guys?" Ed asked bluntly, not looking at him.

"Here," Roy responded, taking the manila folder from the corner of his desk and holding it out. "Have a look for yourself."

Ed stood and took the offered folder. Sitting back down, he began to comb through each of the pages. Alphonse leaned over his brother to get a look as well.

"The file isn't complete," Roy interrupted. "Many of the shops that were robbed were completely trashed, making it difficult to take a full inventory of what was taken."

"Hmm," was the only response he received as the boys' attention remained raptly on the contents of the folder.

"We're also attempting to locate where they are currently hiding. It must be somewhere here in Central. I'm certain this is where they have been stockpiling all their stolen goods, and it's a safe bet it is where they have been devising their plans for the city. My men have gone on several missions throughout the duration of this case but have discovered no clues. Any suggestions?" the colonel asked once the boys had looked up from the folder.

Ed gave nothing but a shrug. "It's difficult to say." He glanced at his brother. "We're not very familiar with the city as it is. And we've been in several fights with these guys over the past few weeks and they've always outsmarted us and would escape the scene without a trace."

"But you were able to catch one robber last night." Roy steepled his fingers. "The man is being questioned as we speak. We're hoping he will crack and tell us something about this organization. I'll update you on the details when the information reaches my office. Which will most likely be first thing tomorrow."

Ed nodded, looking back down at the first page in the still-open folder.

"On a related note, where are you both staying? You will need to be easily reachable during the time that you are aiding us with this case."

The brothers were quiet for a moment, glancing at the colonel. Finally, it was Edward who spoke with a shrug. "Sometimes here, sometimes there, sometimes, you know, around…"

Roy frowned. "Are you homeless? You know, there are places you can go, people that can help—"

Ed held up his hands, waving them in the air to cut Mustang off. "No, no, no, it-it's not—we're not _homeless_. Our…we…we're not _from_ Central. We're just here…for a while. You think with everything we have that we're living on the _streets_? _Jeez_."

Roy found his frown deepening with skepticism. His brow furrowed and he sighed. "Nevertheless," he trailed off as he stood. "Please follow me."

"Where?" Ed asked, watching the older man pass him.

Roy lifted a hand, signaling them to come. "Just follow me."

* * *

After a ten minute walk, the colonel had led the Elrics to a squat building still on the command grounds. He told them to wait outside for a moment and to _not leave_ before reemerging several minutes later with a brass key in his hand.

He motioned them to follow him inside and led them down a long hallway that was nowhere near as large or luxurious as those within Central Command. The colonel stopped before a nondescript door halfway down the hall and placed the key into the lock. "These are usually reserved for soldiers with nowhere else to stay while on duty here, but since I don't buy that you both currently have a place to live, I'm allowing you both to stay here for the time being."

"I _told_ you," Ed began loudly as the door opened, "we're not—"

The colonel ignored him, stepping into the small dorm and waving a hand around. Edward and Alphonse stepped inside, curiously giving the place the once-over. "It's not much, but I'm sure it'll do," the man said, turning to the brothers.

The boys were quiet as the man stepped past them and back out into the hallway. "Take the day to get settled and think over everything about the case." He tossed the key to Ed, who caught it clumsily. "Report to my office at the same time tomorrow and I'll give you whatever new information I have. I've got to get back to my actual work now before Hawkeye gets out her gun," he said with a smirk to cover up the fear in his eyes.

As the colonel left, closing the door behind him, Alphonse said, "Thank you, sir," with a slight bow. Edward, however, folded his arms and stared at the closed door, remaining quiet; he was still wary of why a man he so blatantly distrusted would be so willing to help them.


	3. Chapter 3

"Brother, why are you pouting?"

"I'm not pouting," Ed pouted.

Alphonse paused in his packing to glare at his brother. They held each other's gaze for a minute before Alphonse let out an airless sigh and went back to the task at hand.

Edward shyly glanced up to make sure Al wasn't still looking before openly staring at his brother, who wasn't really his brother, though Edward would never allow himself to admit that. Maybe he was going insane. He probably already had.

Ed found himself wondering why the hell he was doing this, any of this. Why he had felt the need to bring them to Central, as if saving people he didn't even know and who didn't even appreciate him would bring him any joy or sense of relief after what he'd done to his little brother.

His thoughts began to grow darker, drifting like they usually did only when night came around and all was quiet. Maybe he should have never started any of this in the first place. He was beginning to doubt himself more and more each day. He thought maybe in some twisted way, everything he'd done in the past year, after that _one horrible night_ , would somehow ease his guilt. But lately, it just seemed to be making him feel worse.

_I don't want it to be like this_ , Edward found himself thinking as he stared at Alphonse, feeling his stomach clench at how horrid his thoughts were while Alphonse was innocently minding his own business. _I want Al back the way he was_.

But Ed would just have to deal with it, he thought bitterly, trying to chide himself for being such a terrible brother for thinking such horrible things and being so childish that he couldn't accept that what had happened happened.

Al seemed to be dealing with it. Far better than Edward ever had. But maybe he too had his silent moments of doubt; maybe he really did hate his brother for what he had done to him. And that is where all of Edward's self-blame came from. Because there was no way to reverse this. He had never even given Al a choice. Ed had just been too afraid to be alone and let his little brother go.

Alphonse took that moment to glance up in the middle of Edward's silent bout of self-loathing. His hands paused immediately and his voice was laced with genuine concern. "Brother, what's wrong?"

Edward blinked once, twice, and his eyes flicked down to the floor. He mumbled out a half-truth. "I don't like— _or trust_ —that Mustang guy. I just want to get this whole ordeal over with as soon as we can."

Alphonse sealed the folds of another box. "Well, now that you're working on the case I'm sure it'll be closed quickly," he stated optimistically.

Edward's hands had stopped in their packing but his eyes remained staring down. "Yeah," he said without conviction.

They had left behind the dorm Mustang had offered them not long ago and were back in their current residence. It was a small, rundown house in the suburbs surrounding the city. As far as the places the brothers had occupied over the last few months went, Edward thought this one was the best yet. It was fairly spacious, some of the windows were still intact and it was rundown enough that no one would think to come inside but still livable.

But in the end, it had been Alphonse who had gotten Edward to agree to move into the dorm for the time being.

Alphonse didn't have a human body, and somehow that made Edward even more protective of his brother. They had had more than their fair share of close calls during rain showers during the summer and fall.

Similarly, Alphonse had been pushing his brother to agree to the dorm because he had been worried about the elder's health as well. He had even suggested packing up their bags and returning to Resembool more than once over the past few months. He never understood why Ed was so adamant about refusing the suggestion or why he wouldn't explain his reasoning when Alphonse asked why. Still, Al would use his body in whatever way he could to help shield his brother from the elements.

Even though Edward would not admit it to Colonel Mustang, there had been times during their stay in Central when they hadn't had a roof over their heads or even a meager place to seek shelter.

Edward glanced up at the most noticeable hole in the ceiling. Winter was on the horizon, and Edward had to admit it would be nice to have a sturdy place to stay in if it began to snow. Alphonse's exterior would stay intact that way, and Edward wouldn't have to worry about the cold or the aching in his stumps it brought along quite so much.

Ed turned his attention away from the daytime sky that peeked through the hole and closed the box in his hands. He turned to his brother, who had done the same. "Ready to go?"

Alphonse nodded eagerly, hefting up the few boxes he had packed.

The boys didn't have much, just enough to sustain Edward and keep Alphonse running as well as their stash of gadgets.

Al took most of the boxes since he would not tire from carrying them, leaving Edward with one box to hold.

Ed gripped the key tightly in his flesh hand, feeling the cool metal grooves dig into his skin, and together the two boys left the dilapidated house behind.

* * *

It was a slow workday at the office and clock above the door had just barely hit eight o'clock. The pungent smell of coffee was palpable, and the scent of day-old doughnuts tinged the office's air.

Ed and Al had been escorted once again into the office. This time they had been brought by the lieutenant that called himself Breda. He was silent the entire trek through Central Command, stealing glances at the two peculiar brothers, his lips pursed with unsaid questions, and his eyes filled with curiosity. It wasn't until they were three-quarters of the way there that the lieutenant spoke up. His question was directed at Ed, asking him when he thought he would be able to close the case. Apparently, he was trying to get back at the man who was apparently named Lieutenant Havoc after he had won the previous bet, and Breda was hoping Edward would be able to give him the upper hand.

Edward had just cracked his knuckles with the most intimidating look he could muster at eight in the morning, reassuring the man that it would be dealt with soon enough.

Breda laughed heartily, telling him, "I don't doubt it, Chief. Expect nothing less from Central's very own Fullmetal."

Edward had rolled his eyes and went back to his conversation with his brother as the lieutenant led them down the last leg of the hallway and opened the door to the office.

There was a chorus of _Good Morning_ s which made Edward feel only slightly less awkward than the stares they had received yesterday. Alphonse happily greeted the team with a wave and a simple, "Hello."

"Hey," Edward waved halfheartedly before turning back to his brother as they moved toward the inner office where Mustang was mulling over a sheaf of papers. "So as I was saying," Edward continued, "it seems most of the robberies are taking place on the south side of Central that we were considering a few months ago. You know the warehouse district just on the outskirts of the city? I think it'd be a good idea to start there."

"Hmm," Alphonse agreed. "The district has been abandoned for quite some time, hasn't it? But the buildings there are big enough and still in good enough shape to hide out in. I think it sounds promising."

"Yeah, I think we should go scout it out later."

"What's this I hear?" Roy asked. The boys stopped and turned toward the colonel, only seeming to notice they were in the middle of his office when he spoke up.

Ed put his hands on his hips and casually turned to the man. "We did what you said, _Colonel_. We took the night, mulled it over, and we came up with a few places to scope out."

" _No_ ," Roy said slowly as he sat up from his desk, "I believe I told you to consider the evidence and report back to me with any theories you come up with, but you are not to go 'scope out' any place. Either of you."

"What, so you're just gonna let them get away with it? Al and I could be out there stopping them right now!"

"Edward, contrary to what you may believe, you are not military. You never have been and just because you are assisting us in this case does not mean you are now either. Please leave it to professionals. If you have a serious idea of where these criminals may be, please tell us and _we_ will take care of it. I'm not about to allow a child to go out and do the military's job. It's bad enough you two have been doing it the past few months. You could still be tried because of that if you're not willing to cooperate with us." He raised an eyebrow at his last statement, silently challenging the boy to argue against him.

Ed didn't verbally object, though his eye twitched slightly and his face turned a shade redder. He huffed. "So what do you want from us today?"

"Nothing actually," Roy responded, slightly frustrated. "Our perpetrator is still refusing to talk so all the information we currently have I have already shown to you. You boys are free to go today."

"You mean we came all this way over just for you to tell us we're not needed?"

"It's a ten minute walk, Elric."

" _That's not the point_."

"Fine. Have a doughnut, stay a little if you must." Mustang gestured to the outer office with the tip of his pen. "But not in my private office. Some of us actually have work to be done today."

"I doubt it," the boy scoffed.

Roy rolled his eyes and his gaze wandered over to Alphonse, who had been silently watching through the whole conversation. He looked nervous as if prepared to restrain his brother if the argument escalated, but in the end, all Ed said was, "We don't want your stale doughnuts." He turned on his heels and strode out of Roy's office. "C'mon, Al."

"Remember what I said about not getting involved, Edward," Roy called after him, his eyes and his mind already back on the work cluttering his desk. He barely even heard the outer door slam shut.

* * *

"So what do we do now?" Alphonse asked as the two Elrics made their way down the hall and eventually out of Central Command.

Edward paused in the middle of his tirade of new and unflattering names for the colonel. "What do you mean 'what do we do?'" He turned on the sidewalk and eyed his brother, arms crossed. "That Colonel Bastard doesn't own us. He can't _really_ tell us what to do." He turned sharply and began walking again with purpose. "We're going to the warehouse district. If the military doesn't care enough to listen to us _now_ , then we'll just take the case into our own hands."

"But what about what Colonel Mustang said…we could get in trouble for all we've done if we don't do what he says."

Ed waved a hand flippantly. "Yeah, as if he'd ever follow through on that threat. I doubt he has the authority." Ed hesitated. "But if he does, I'll take the blame, okay? You just run away and stay hidden for a while."

Alphonse came to a halt. "Ed…I'm not leaving you."

Edward stopped a few paces before his brother and turned back to study him. He blinked down at the sidewalk. "Okay. We can cross that bridge when we get to it." He perked up suddenly, surveying the surrounding buildings. " _Now_. I think it's…" he raised a finger, trying to guide himself south, "this way! Come on!" The brothers took off running.

Half an hour later found the boys crouching in the brush several yards from where the rundown warehouses began.

"Do you see anything?" Alphonse whispered.

Edward bit at his lip as his eyes scanned the area. "Not yet. We might have to go in closer." He hopped up and made his way into the clearing.

"Just be careful, Brother," Alphonse said, still whispering. He watched as Ed stumbled after getting his boot caught in a bough of the scraggly bushes. Ed waved his brother off.

"I will, Al. I'll be fine." He started forward. Alphonse rushed to catch up with him, keeping his shoulders hunched as if that would make him any less noticeable.

"So what do we do if we _do_ happen to find these guys?" Alphonse murmured as they neared the first building. It was a large and square, four-story tall building made of splintering wood. Most of the glass from the windows was no longer present, giving way to a view of the spacious inside.

Edward frowned as he saw there was no suspicious activity going on inside. "I told you," he began casually as he moved onto the next, nearly identical warehouse. He slapped his metal fist into his human palm. "We're taking this into our own hands. We're gonna fight these bastards and this time we _won't lose_. We'll put an end to this once and for all."

Ed grumbled as the next building revealed nothing as did the one after that.

"Brother…I really think we should leave the fighting to the military. Sure, we've been fighting criminals for a while, but that was always small things. These guys might be really dangerous if the military is so serious about catching them."

Ed slammed the door of yet another empty building. " _Look_ , _Al_ , if you don't want to be here, that's fine. You can go back and wait at the dorm. But we're already _here_ so we might as well see this through, alright? Now help me look."

Alphonse sighed, debating whether or not to carry the argument further. Finally, he muttered under his breath, "Brother can be so stubborn sometimes," before turning away and moving to search a different section of the area.

Twenty minutes went by and a frustrated Edward finally allowed himself to admit that they probably wouldn't find anything important here. He moved away from yet another abandoned building, shoving his hands into his pockets. Together the boys had searched nearly the entire district with just a handful of warehouses left to search; Ed was growing more dejected with each dead end.

Suddenly, he heard Alphonse shouting his name. His young voice was the first sound to break the quiet that had fallen over the yard since the boys' brief argument. Ed turned to see his brother jogging up to him.

"Did you find something?" Edward asked hopefully. He could feel himself perking up at just the prospect.

"Uh, no," Alphonse said. He looked down at his twiddling hands.

"Then what is it?" Ed prompted with a trace of annoyance seeping into his voice.

"It's just that…" One of his large hands reached up to rub the back of his head. "I was thinking, well, even if we _did_ find these guys here. How would we fight them? We left all our stuff back at the dorm."

It took a moment for Edward to process the information, and he found himself staring dumbly at his brother. He slapped his hand to his forehead as the realization hit him. "Dammit!" He had been so preoccupied with his anger at Mustang and thinking about how he didn't need the bastard's help that had completely forgotten such an essential component for their scouting. Edward swore again.

"What should we do?"

Ed sighed harshly. "We should go." He glanced around; it wasn't as if he believed they'd even find anything in those last few buildings when they had turned up nothing so far. And Ed wasn't about to let Al and himself face these guys unarmed.

"Oh—okay."

Without another word, Ed turned in the direction he had come, navigating through the empty warehouses and bitterly thinking of all the time they'd wasted and Mustang's smug face when word would reach the man.

* * *

It was nearly dusk before the boys made it back to their dorm for good. They had stopped by that morning in ordered to arm themselves before going back into the city to search a few other, even less promising locations; and they had returned with nothing to show for it.

Dejectedly, Ed kicked at a stray pebble on the pavement leading to the dorm building.

The brothers had fallen into silence after their last destination had turned out to be a bust as well. But as they neared the building, Alphonse shrugged. "It's only the first day, we can't give up now. Maybe we can go to Colonel Mustang tomorrow morning and see if he has anything else for us."

"Hmm. Yeah." Edward could feel himself spiraling down once more. He wondered why the hell they were doing this. Just this morning he had been so optimistic, now Edward could feel himself crashing. When had his emotions become so volatile?

And Alphonse just went along with everything. His wonderful, selfless little brother never questioned Ed's actions or reasons, he never had, and somehow that always made Edward feel worse. Al never complained about the life Ed had given him. Ed could feel the guilt beginning to eat at his insides as his thoughts began to turn toward _that_ subject yet again. When he thought maybe he shouldn't have built that android. Maybe he should have just cut his losses on that fateful night last year. He was selfish and childish and once again, Alphonse was receiving the brunt of everything.

Maybe he should just give up.

Ed took a deep breath, not exactly sure what he was going to say except that he felt he was about to pour his entire soul out before his brother and not worry about the mess it left. Finally, spill every single fear and toxic thought he'd had in the past year. "Hey, Al," he said haltingly.

But that was all he got out before Alphonse shrieked, "Brother, look out!"

Ed spun around, coming face-to-face with a black blur as it connected with the side of his head.


	4. Chapter 4

The world turned sideways as Ed felt his face meet the rough pavement. There were the loud sounds of nearby scuffling and several shouts and groans. He heard his brother shout out but everything was still hazy. Ed felt his head was swimming in a fog. It took him several minutes before he realized he could even see again, though the painful throbbing in his head hindered him from seeing everything clearly.

It was the loud crash of metal as Alphonse joined him on the pavement that finally forced Edward into action.

"You bastards!" he yelled, jumping up and stumbling back down due to his head injury. Ed glanced up from his hands and knees, his hand clutching desperately at his bangs, and finally catching a glimpse of their attackers.

There were two men dressed very similarly to the thief they had brought down just a few days before. They too had a variety of weapons and gadgets—presumably stolen—hanging off their belts and stuffed in their pockets.

Ed eyed the two, who were in the process of holding Alphonse down on the ground, as he staggered to his feet. His body swayed limply for a moment but Edward remained standing. He wiped at the corner of his mouth with his fist before running forward and shoving one of the men off his brother.

He turned, moving to punch the other in the face. The man dodged it and grabbed Ed's own arm as it swung by. Ed swore, but without another thought, he reached up and released the blade in his metal forearm. He twisted his arm awkwardly, trying to slash himself free of the man's grip.

Ed only managed to graze the man's bicep before a heavy punched landed itself on Edward's stomach. Ed doubled over and felt himself hit the ground as the man released him with a hardy laugh.

"What the hell do you crooks want?" Edward spat as he looked up at the man, his hands still pressed firmly against his aching stomach.

The man leaned in closely. "We want our… _colleague_ back. You wouldn't happen to know where he is now would you, little boy, hmm?"

With a sneer, Edward gave the man some choice four-letter words. He could here Alphonse engaged with the other man; the sounds of clashing metal and grunts filled the air.

Edward's opponent reeled back while Ed was distracted and kicked the boy hard in the shoulder. Ed landed hard on his back, receiving several cuts as the gravel dug into his exposed skin.

The man loomed over him, placing a boot on Edward's solar plexus and slowly applying pressure. "You're not a very good military dog, are you? Can't even answer one simple question?"

"I'm not military." Ed gritted his teeth then swung out his feet, catching the man's other leg and causing him to tumble down as well.

Edward was on him in an instant. His knees pinned the man's arms down to the ground and his blade found its way to the man's throat. "Now tell me, _why the hell are you doing this_?"

A loud shriek of electricity sounded through the air and Edward, suddenly terrified, turned to where he had seen Alphonse last.

His brother was lying motionless on the ground. The second attacker was standing over the metal body triumphantly. His gloved hand was raised slightly, electricity still buzzing from the garment. The sounds of electricity were still tampering off from Al's body and the smell of ozone was back in the air.

Edward stared, horrified. Before he could even think about acting, a strange noise came from below him and there was a sudden burning sensation slashing itself across his chest.

Ed screamed, jumping back from the criminal and clutching at his chest.

Suddenly—

He was back there.

He could feel the burning in his chest.

Could feel the burning, scorching pain in his arm and leg as the flames burned his limbs and destroyed his house.

He could hear Alphonse's young voice as he shrieked and screamed for his brother to save him, and Ed couldn't do anything, he was shaking and sweating and scared out of his mind, he couldn't breathe and he was so alone and afraid, oh so terrified—

Ed blinked.

And everything was gone, leaving behind nothing but the burning pain across his chest.

The man stood and stared down at Edward's trembling form. He held a glowing blade in his hand, much like the thief before had.

Ed was still trying to catch his breath through the burning when a new pain exploded from the back of his skull. Ed fell over in a crumpled heap. He watched as the two men rejoined and stared down at the two incapacitated Elrics.

"If they were trying to find us maybe they should have been a little quieter during their search of the warehouses."

The other one laughed. "They couldn't find us but we sure as hell had an easy time finding them."

"That's what they get for hiring a kid to do a man's job."

The sounds of their malicious laughter and their boots on the gravel as the two men walked away were the last things Edward heard before his vision blurred over and the world turned black.

* * *

"Fullmetal!" There was a rough jostling of his shoulders. "Fullmetal!" Ed felt his head loll as he was shaken. "Wait, he doesn't like that…" the voice muttered. "Ed? Edward!" There was a resilient slapping on his cheek now. The hand was gently but it still made the cuts on Ed's cheek sting.

Ed grumbled slightly and tried to move away from the source.

"Edward?"

The shaking returned, more gently than before, but it was beginning to bother Ed. He mumbled slightly and tried to move further away. His head was spinning even with his eyes closed and his whole body seemed to be throbbing and sore.

"Fullmetal, answer me! That's an order!"

"M'not military," Ed mumbled groggily.

There was a sudden pause and Ed wondered if Mustang was relieved or enraged. "This is no time to be arguing, dammit! Now, are you alright?" Ed was surprised to find both emotions mixed in the man's voice.

Ed finally pried his eyes open. He blinked several times before allowing them to open fully without pain. He was greeted with the sight of Mustang leaning over him, a look of tight concern and slight confusion on his face. The sky behind him was beginning to turn peach with the on slot of dusk, and Edward wondered how long he had been lying there.

"M'fine." He rubbed at his face in an attempt to get himself to snap out of the heavy feelings of exhaustion and pain. "I think so. I'm…" His voice trailed off as something that had been tugging at his mind suddenly became clear. "Al!"

Ed shot up and nearly banged heads with Mustang in the process. "Where—" His gaze scanned desperately over the asphalt until his eyes landed on his brother's metal form.

Ed stumbled to his feet, regardless of Mustang's protests to take it easy, and ran over before kneeling beside the still form. "Al? Al!" Ed took his brother's helmet in both of his hands but the lights of Al's eyes were nonexistent.

Ed felt his heartbeat quicken and his breathing was becoming ragged as he ran his eyes over the metal. Everything seemed to still be there, it was probably just a short circuit, Ed tried to reassure himself. Still, he could not stop the desperate way his hands detached his brother's helmet or the way his body shook as he examined Al's inner workings.

Mustang had joined him at some point. He silently watched as Edward ran a hand over the bottom of Al's helmet before reattaching it to his body.

Ed held his breath.

The lights of Al's eyes reappeared, and only then did Edward allow himself to exhale.

"Al…" he said in a hushed tone.

It seemed to take a moment for the android to reboot before Alphonse turned to look at his brother hovering over him. "E-Ed."

Ed's face broke into a relieved smile at the sound of his brother's voice.

The colonel decided now that the Ed wasn't about to breakdown to alert the boys of his presence by clearly demanding, "What happened to you two?"

"We—we got ambushed," Ed explained simply and he looked back down at his brother.

"By the men we've been trying to catch?"

Both boys nodded. Roy swore under his breath. "Fine. You'll have to tell me the details later. For now, Edward, you need to seek medical attention." He gave the boy a cursory glance before grabbing him by the underarm.

Ed resisted. "I-no, I don't. I told you I'm _fine_."

Roy paused without relinquishing his grip. "You call this _fine_?"

"You really don't look too good, Brother," Alphonse agreed.

Ed glared at his brother. "Fine, fine. I'm not going to the hospital though."

"What's wrong with the hospital?"

"It's not _that_ bad," Ed muttered angrily and avoided Roy's gaze.

"Brother is afraid of needles," Alphonse said plainly as he sat up.

"Shut up!"

Mustang ignored the boys' childish quarrel. "Do you have a first aid kit in your dorm?" He glanced back at the dormitory only a few yards away.

"No."

"What do you mean 'no?' You get into fights all the time and you don't even have basic medical supplies?"

Edward just shrugged.

Mustang seemed to be silently debating something in his head. Finally, he heaved a sigh. "Fine. I have a kit back at my apartment. I was on my way home anyway." He helped a begrudging and grumbling Ed to his feet.

Ed tensed suddenly. His hands furiously patted himself down and he began scanning the ground around him. "Al," he exclaimed with sudden energy. He looked at his brother. "You stay here. Go back and search the dorm to make sure they didn't take anything else, okay?"

Alphonse nodded as he came to the same conclusion Ed had; all the supplies they had been carrying was now missing. "I'm on it, Brother." The younger Elric jumped to his feet. "You just take it easy for now, okay?"

Ed nodded noncommittally. His head was still aching and it was too much effort to nod fully.

"Let's go," Mustang said, his voice commanding but still somehow gentle. Ed watched his brother's receding form disappear into the dormitory as Mustang half carried him to his car parked near the command center.

"Try not to get any blood on the seat," he ordered as he deposited Edward into the passenger side.

"Of course that's what you're worried about," Ed muttered bitterly but Mustang had already shut the door on him.

* * *

Mustang's apartment was small but more than roomy enough for one person to live comfortably. Everything was furnished and gave Edward a feeling that he didn't belong. Everything was neatly cleaned and placed where it should be; there was no dust nor even one picture frame or knick-knack that seemed to be out of place. It almost felt as if the apartment was uninhabited by the way everything seemed to be so neatly in place, and the only signs of life were the half-filled pot of coffee in the kitchen and the coffee table in the living room, which was cluttered with military papers.

"Take off your shoes and go have a seat in the kitchen," Mustang ordered from behind Edward as he shut the door and unbuttoned his coat.

Edward was in more pain than he was willing to admit so he just nodded his head tiredly and shuffled into the kitchen and bonelessly fell into one of the chairs. His eyes scanned over the shining surface of the granite counter and over the white floor tiles, which reflected the overhead lights. Ed listened to Mustang moving through another part of the apartment, presumably trying to find his medical supplies.

Ed sighed and leaned his forehead against the tabletop, trying to block out the bright noise and sound. How had he even gotten himself into this?

"Alright, kid. Where are you hurt?"

Ed peered up to see Mustang looming over him with a serious expression on his face and a medical kit gripped in his hand. Ed sighed and sat up straighter. He shrugged. "Just a few scrapes and bruises mostly." He undid his jacket, exposing his ripped undershirt. "And this." Ed looked down and tested the tender skin around the long, diagonal cut that ran from the right side of his ribs up to his left shoulder.

Mustang let out a hiss as if he was pained just looking at the wound. "What the hell did that?"

"One of those saber blades. You know the kind that heats up to burning temperatures? I'm guessing it's something they stole during one of their loots."

"I suppose that's why the wound already looks like it's been cauterized." Roy pursed his lips in thought. Another blemish caught Roy's eyes and he noticed several other burn marks across Edward's chest. They all seemed to be radiating out from where his prosthetic met his shoulder. It took Roy a second to notice those marks, however, seemed to be older and had already turned to uneven scar tissue

Roy blinked and looked up to find Edward watching him with an unreadable expression. The colonel cleared his throat. "Right. There's not much we can do about it now. You won't be bleeding out from it, it doesn't seem deep anyway. So we can just apply some cream to soothe the pain and help it heal then dress the wound to keep it clean."

"Yeah, fine," Ed said unenthusiastically. He picked up a bandage and began to wrap it around a deep scrape on his hand.

"So do you want to tell me all that happened?"

"Not really."

"It wasn't a question."

Edward gave the man a pointed look but didn't say anything. The boy clutched at his head and leaned his elbow on the table. Roy watched, realizing the something else must have been wrong with the kid and he was determined to get Ed to admit it later.

"I don't know, Al and I were on our way back to the dorms and they jumped us. We were able to fight them for a few minutes but they had surprised us and one of them knocked me out pretty quickly."

"And do you know why they did it? Why they went after you and Al specifically?" Roy inquired as he handed a tube of cream to Edward.

Ed shrugged and accepted the offered cream. "They said they wanted their man back—the one Al and I caught. They knew we were helping the military with the case."

Roy's lips pulled into a tight frown. This was exactly one of the things he had been trying to avoid. He thought he had the Elrics under enough order and protection that they wouldn't be involved enough to get hurt.

Roy glanced up at Edward as the boy was applying the cream; a feeling of suspicion was growing in Roy's mind. He tried to act casual as he posed his next question. He grabbed the gauze from the kit and found its end. "So, uh, do you have any idea how those men knew where you two would be?"

Ed shrugged, apparently unaware of Roy's change in demeanor. He took the gauze from the man's hand. "I guess they must have been following us." His mind was preoccupied with unraveling the gauze.

"Hmm. Maybe I should have a few escorts assigned to keep an eye on both of you."

Ed's eyes shot up to meet the colonel's. His hands immediately paused at an awkward angle as he was in the middle of wrapping the bandage around his back. "Like hell you should," he scoffed.

Roy shrugged innocently. "Who knows how long these men have been following you? There isn't any way to know when they began watching you or how they found out about you Edward, now would there?"

Ed's eyes looked to the side and he slowly went back to his task. "How should I know? They must have found out we were the ones that caught their friend. Maybe they've been following us ever since."

"You haven't noticed any strange actively? No one odd following you before this?"

"No. I've been a little preoccupied, okay?"

"Fine, fine." Roy watched the boy finish his wrapping and place the gauze away before cradling his head in his hands. He thought about grilling Ed more. Roy was certain the kid had definitely gone against his orders and gone out looking for those criminals, but Edward looked so physically exhausted, Roy decided he could harass the kid about it after he got some rest.

"Edward, are you sure you're feeling alright?"

Ed waved his hand at the man in a shooing motion. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just, a bit of a headache, okay?" He stood abruptly and clung to the edge of the table as his world began to sway.

Roy stood up, prepared to catch the kid of he fainted again. He certainly looked about ready to pass out. "I should really take you to the hospital. I—"

"It's _nothing_ ," Ed said rather bitingly from his weak position hunched over the table. He stood up straighter and looked at Roy. "Stop acting so worried. Like you actually give a damn what happens to me. You—" he wobbled slightly as he turned "you're just using Al and me to finish this case so your lazy ass doesn't have to do any of the work. You're blackmailing us. You know I have enough of my own problems without the military sticking their nose into our business."

Roy stared at the boy, completely dumbfounded by where everything had come from. Sure, Roy knew the boy didn't like him and he wasn't entirely too fond of him either, but this seemed completely unprovoked. Roy was finally pulled from his thoughts by movement out of the corner of his eye as Ed turned to leave.

Roy reached out and grabbed the boy by the metal arm. Ed stumbled for a moment from the sudden stop but remained upright.

"Edward, we can talk about your feelings toward me later. But this is important. What if you have a concussion? This isn't something you can just—"

Ed pulled his arm from Roy's grip without looking back. He shuffled toward the front door as he spoke. "It's not a big deal. I've _had_ concussions before anyway and no one cared about them then. No one but Al. Just let me go back, he waiting for me."

Roy exhaled through his nose, glaring daggers at the kid's back. He had half a mind to just pick the kid up—he was definitely small enough—and drag him kicking and screaming to the hospital. But Ed was right. Roy barely knew this kid; he wasn't his responsibility. This boy was just a stranger, he wasn't Roy's problem. He never really had been. But wasn't it morally wrong to let the kid just go? But what Roy said instead wasn't much better. "Al will still be there when you get back. He's just a robot, Edward—"

Ed turned on him as fast as he could in his condition. " _Do not_ say that! He's—"

"That's all he is! Just another one of your experiments so you can run amuck in this city. Why are you so obsessed with that thing? You're not thinking clearly and you're obviously injured. You need to stop thinking about him for a minute and think about _yourself_. You need to learn to not be afraid of other people and stop hanging around that thing your entire life. I'm taking—"

"Shut up!" Ed was seething; Roy could see that even from where he stood at the entry to the kitchen. Ed's hands were balled into fists held tightly at his sides. "You have _no idea_ what the hell you're saying! So shut the hell up."

Roy closed his mouth as he saw tears threatening to spill from the boy's eyes. Ed furiously rubbed them away but it was obvious they both saw. "I'm not going to any damn hospital. This isn't about you or Al or anyone else."

Trembling slightly, Ed turned and grasped the door handle in his prosthetic hand with a metal _tink_.

"What if I order you to?"

There was a pause and it seemed the entire world had stopped on its axis before Edward slowly turned to face the colonel with a glare on his face. His eyes were intense; they weren't even angry at this point, they were far beyond a simple emotion such as anger. A hundred different emotions seemed to be battling behind Edward's golden eyes just like it seemed he wanted to say a hundred different things when he opened his mouth. In the end, it seemed his conflicting emotions all got tangled up and all that came out was a soft, " _Excuse me_?"

Roy relaxed as the impending explosion didn't arrive. "I-I'm ordering you, Fullmetal. I'm bringing you to the hospital right now."

"You can't order me! I am _not_ your military dog! I don't give a damn that you've been forcing us to help you with this case! I'm done! I don't care anymo—no, I _never_ did. Just leave me and my brother alone!" He turned away and ripped the door open; the wood shuddered.

"Elric, if you quit now and walk out that door, if you disobey—"

"What? Are you gonna have a twelve-year-old arrested?" Ed threw his hands in the air with a dramatic albeit irritated flair. "Will that make the High and Mighty Colonel Bastard feel better about himself?"

Roy's anger almost matched Edward's at this point. He pointed a stiff finger at the boy. "You're off the case," Roy decided right then. "Whether you walk out that door or not. I don't care anymore. I don't want you involved in this."

"Fine with me!"

"And I know you went against my orders! I know you've been off looking for these guys after I _specifically_ told you not to!"

"How perceptive of you, Colonel! Just one more thing you can hold against me! I'm sure you're happy about that, huh?" Edward quickly turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

The sky was deep indigo by the time Edward left the colonel's house, and it had turned completely dark by the time he navigated his way to the dormitory. Stars were beginning to poke out through the deep blue of the sky. Ed looked up, unable to admire them through his sour mood. The nights in Central had never been breath-taking anyway. There was far too much light pollution within the city. After spending almost twelve years in a rural city such as Resembool, where the skies were cluttered with shining stars on every clear night, Central's skies were almost a disappointment.

The temperature seemed to be dropping as Edward walked. He shoved his hands deep into his pocket and saw his breath upon exhaling. Ed quickened his pace. He could already feel the oncoming pain as the cold penetrated his stumps. He didn't need any more ailments right now.

The dormitory came into Ed's line of sight not soon enough, and Ed quickened his pace even more as the building came into view.

The heat of the building engulfed Edward the moment he stepped inside. At this time of night, the dormitory halls were completely deserted and most of the building's occupants were out on a mission or already in for the night.

Ed was just coming to the realization that he had given his key to Alphonse and that he would need to knock when he began to feel a slight tinge of apprehension in his stomach.

The door to the boys' dorm was already unlocked and left slightly open. Edward frowned, wondering—hoping—Alphonse had just forgotten to close it all the way, even though that didn't sound like his little brother. Ed didn't even give himself a moment to take a breath before he swung the door open and stepped into the room.

The small space was trashed. Edward took another step into the room, then another, feeling as if he was walking in a dream. Everything of importance seemed to be missing; his weapons and his equipment and even all his scraps.

But most importantly—Edward felt his already cold body growing numb—Alphonse was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Ed wasn't sure how long he had stood there in the middle of the room with a dumbfounded look on his face as he surveyed the carnage that was his and Al's dorm room. Every minute he stood there frozen was another moment Alphonse was gone, another minute Ed could be too late in finding him, another minute for those men to do whatever they wanted to his little brother, experiment on his parts and dismantle him to the core to see what would make him tick.

The thought of that made Edward sick, and it was that thought that finally kicked him back into action with a deep scowl slashed across his face.

It was those men that had taken his brother. Ed hasn't even thought to second guess that decision. Of course, it had been them. The more Ed thought about it, the worse he felt. They had probably been ransacking the brothers' dorm when Ed had sent Al back in. The probably jumped the youngest Elric the moment he walked in.

Most likely they had always planned to take Al. They had broken into the room first to find what useful items they could, and Al had walked right into them.

Ed's scowl turned into a worried frown as he imagined it. Alphonse was a good fighter, always had been, Ed wondered what the hell kind of tricks those men had pulled on his brother to take him down.

He tried to push the images from his mind but his guilt fed them in a constant loop in his head.

Ed swiftly turned away from the main room without a second thought; everything in there was useless to him now. He swung the closet door open and fell to his knees.

The large safe sitting on the floor and fitting snuggly into one corner of the closet had been busted open. The door hung loosely from one working hinge, revealing the empty belly of the safe.

Ed snickered. He almost wished he could have seen those criminals' faces when they finally cracked the safe open to find it had always been empty. If he wasn't in such a foul mood, Ed probably would have laughed aloud at those pathetic bastards.

But Ed had much more important matters. He leaned forward over the safe and ran his hand between the slim spot between its cold, metal surface, and the wall. It was a space small enough to be overlooked, and even if it hadn't been, it would have been almost impossible to reach any objects hidden behind there since the safe had been bolted to the floor.

Ed decided just this once he would be thankful for his below-average size as his small hands easily slipped between the crack and his fingers brushed against the object in hiding. He sighed heavily with relief and pulled the slim, handheld computer from its hiding place.

Ed remembered upon moving into the small dorm, trying to find a place to put the thing. Alphonse had sighed at his brother's blatant distrust for the military. He hated Ed's paranoia; Ed hated that he had been right. Even though it hadn't been the military to ransack his room, Ed had still been right with his mistrust and decision to hide the invaluable object.

After heaving another sigh, Ed stood and turned away from the closest. He grabbed his bag off the floor and stuffed the computer inside before running from the dorm, not even bothering to close the door behind himself.

* * *

Ed made a beeline for the warehouse district. Though his head was still buzzing and his memory hazy, Ed was certain the men had mentioned that they had in fact been hiding out there. Ed cursed himself for not checking those last few buildings and cursed himself again for being so loud during their search of the yard earlier.

Ed moved as swiftly as his pounding head and aching wounds would allow. He was sure those criminals knew he would be coming for Al upon noticing his brother's disappearance. Ed didn't know whether or not they would be moving their location now or waiting for the famous Fullmetal to make his grand entrance. Ed hurried as the worrisome feeling grew just thinking about it.

The night was still prevalent, and the further Ed walked from the center of the city, the more stars that appeared in the velvety sky. Ed paid them no mind, however, and kept his gaze forward, straining his eyes in vain to see the warehouses miles before they came into view.

If the brothers hadn't gone searching through the district earlier, Ed thought he might have walked past it now since there were no lights present in any of the buildings the lined the edge of the inside of the district. The buildings were nothing more than towering blocks of black that barely stood out against the nighttime sky; pinpricks of stars could be seen through the broken windows and holes in the dilapidated buildings.

Ed trudged through the border of short bushes without hesitation. The leaves swished as Ed stepped through them. They reminded him of his childhood; he and Al would spend nights outside running around and lying down, staring at the stars. As soon as there would be a far off swishing sound of leaves on trees, Al would suddenly be terrified, looking to Ed for courage. Ed had rolled his eyes and told his brother it was nothing to worry about, probably just a nocturnal animal and to stop being so jumpy, even if he himself had been scared of the unknown darkness.

Ed continued forward, knowing he was walking right into the unknown.

What would he find when he finally burst through the warehouse? Al being taken apart piece by piece? An ambush? A completely empty building with only a few screws and wires that revealed people had been there at all?

Ed sucked in a lungful of the cold air as he tried to steel himself, and then sighed at his choice of words as if he needed to be _more_ steel. The air chilled him to the bone but it awoke his senses; Ed felt himself thinking more clearly now even if the aching in his head had yet to subside. He hitched the strap of his bag up higher on his flesh shoulder as he maneuvered through the maze of warehouses he and Al had already searched.

The yard was eerie, Ed couldn't deny that. A good twenty minutes passed with nothing but the sounds of his footsteps and the sliver of moon to keep him company.

Ed had begun trembling slightly at some point. His nerves were waning just like the moon in the sky the longer he walked and the more time he had to think about all the possibilities that awaited him.

Ed even had the fleeting thought that maybe he should have gone to Mustang before running headfirst into this. At least then he would haven't have been alone, and Mustang was probably the only person Ed knew that would be able to help, as sad as that sounded. But the thought was gone before it was even fully formed. Mustang didn't want him. He didn't want anything to do with Ed or Al or any of his damn problems. The man had made that much clear. He had done it all for himself, Ed and Al had just been a pawn to help the colonel's career.

Going to him for help now would just make Ed look even more pathetic.

The next building came into view and all thoughts came to a standstill. Ed's breathing stopped.

This building was different from all the rest; there were lights on, shining through the broken glass of the windows.

Ed gritted his teeth, willing himself to stop this fear of the unknown, and he ran forward without looking back.

* * *

The hinges on the door had been almost entirely eaten away by rust and the metal door went flying off them as Ed's boot planted into it. The metal clattered loudly onto the floor, making any stealthy entrance impossible; which was exactly what Ed wanted.

Ed was here and he wanted all of them to know it. He wanted his brother back and he wanted them to know he wasn't afraid.

He stepped inside while the ringing of metal died down as the door settled on the ground.

The lights were beating down brightly from between the rafters, throwing crisscrossing shadows down on the warehouse floor. Row after row of stolen gadgets, weapons and appliances ran perpendicular to each other, creating a maze throughout the large and spacious building. The unnatural light glistened from the shining metal of each good.

Edward looked around; his body was tensed with the preparation of a fight that did not come. The immediate area was empty. Ed glanced around but saw nothing but shining silver. All the reflections were disorienting, and Ed realized announcing his presence so loudly may not have been the best plan of action. Certainly, someone must have heard, and it was only a matter of time before they were on him, but Ed was more preoccupied with trying to find his brother.

Ed crouched and ducked behind the nearest shelf. Quickly he tiptoed down the way toward where the center of the building should have been.

Several pairs of boots and hushed whispers brought Ed to a pause. He gripped the edge of the metal shelf and slowly glanced around the corner to come face to face with three large men running down between the rows.

"So there's the rat," one sneered as they stopped to regard him.

The one beside him spoke up. "We were wondering when you would make your grand entrance…Fullmetal."

Ed took an involuntary step backward. His eyes quickly scanned the surrounding area as he decided between offense and defense. His eyes ran over a long piece of black sitting on the nearest shelf. His hand shot out and grabbed the spear without thinking as the men began to advance.

Offense it was, Ed decided. He swung the long spear downward, tripping the first man in a blur of black. He turned to sprint, shoving the other men away but as Ed broke through, he felt a tug. One of the men still standing had grabbed Ed's bag, causing the boy to trip to a halt.

"Ah ah ah, not so fast," he smiled. He reached out and Ed could see now he was wearing one of the gloves that had been used to incapacitate Alphonse earlier. Ed kicked out but when his leg fell short his eyes ran fervently over the black spear still in his hands, searching for what he knew should be there.

With a flick of a hidden button, the long black weapon lit up at its end, glowing orange just like the knives those men had possessed. It made a vibrating sound as Ed swung it through the air in a wave of neon.

The end connected with the side of the man's head, and he cried out from the searing pain.

"Hey!" the last one shouted behind Ed as the boy turned and sprinted down the closest aisle.

Ed twisted and turned, skidding around corners in a desperate attempt to shake off his pursuer.

Soon it was only the pounding of Ed's boots that no amount of light treading could reduce as well as the inhales and exhales that were coming in raggedly the farther Ed ran.

He broke free as the last shelving unit ended, and he stopped in a large clearing. There were dozens of people here, milling around or standing in groups while working on large pieces of weaponry.

Ed watched as he caught his breath. Hundreds of weapons and miscellaneous pieces were scattered about, on tables, or littering the floor. Each group of people was surrounding what Ed could only see to be weapons larger than anything he'd seen from his before. They were huge, Frankenstein-eqsue monsters of metal. Different shining surfaces were fused together and a variety of smaller weapons stuck out from their outer casings.

They had been gathering all this technology, in attempts to fuse them together to make larger weapons, smarter technology for war.

And in the middle of all this activity was a large metal slab of a table, resting atop it was his brother. Ed took a step forward without thinking, almost calling Al's name before he bit his tongue to keep his mouth shut. Ed hadn't seemed to be noticed, not yet at least.

The large android that was his brother was strapped down. His helmet was off and resting unharmed on a nearby table. Several pieces of Al's metal casing had been stripped away, and a handful of people were crowded around, examining Al's inner workings and poking and prodding at them with serious looks of concentration.

Edward took a step forward then another before a few of the crew members dissecting Alphonse glanced up. "What the hell is going on here?" he demanded, his shoulders hunching with contempt.

One man made a sound akin to a surprised laugh. He stepped away from the table Al lied on and took a step toward Edward, arms spread out wide. "Ah, so the famed Fullmetal has finally come to grace us with his presence." His eyes lingered down to the spear still gripped in Edward's prosthetic hand. "You did not take well to the welcome party I sent for you, hmm?"

"Let's just say they weren't the hospitable type," Ed countered. He took another step forward and gestured with the glowing end of his spear. "Now tell me who the hell you are. What the hell is going on here?"

The man laughed once again and turned back to his group. "A feisty one, eh?" The others nodded in agreement before turning back to Alphonse. "I'm Doctor Haus. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Fullmetal. It seems we cannot do this without you." The man spoke amiably and excitedly.

Ed ground his teeth. "Don't call me Fullmetal." He stared at the man, his mind reeling with questions that were getting lost in his growing anger. "And there's no way in Hell I'm helping you. Now give me back my brother."

Haus seemed slightly confused. He turned back to glance at Alphonse. "Your brother? This thing?" He tapped at a piece of Al's suit that was still intact. "It is quite a feat of technology. That is actually what we need your help with, Fullmetal. With advanced technology such as this, we would certainly be unstoppable! We just need help deciphering how it all works together so well—"

"Have you not heard anything I've said? We're not helping you with whatever the hell it is you're doing!"

"Ah, but aren't you even interested in what it is we are preparing here? Should you not hear us out before you are so quick to say no?"

Ed was about to yell at the crazed man once more but he paused. His eyes scanned the machines being built, these obvious weapons for war. Ed had never seen anything so deadly looking.

"You're a vigilante, Fullmetal. You've always played by your own rules, had to look out for no one but yourself. You're more like us than you believe. Now we will help each other."

Ed's eyes flickered from the deathly contraptions to the man as he spoke. Then they grazed right over the doctor as he continued talking and went to Alphonse.

"The military is your _enemy_ , Fullmetal. And it is ours too. Together we can bring it down and bring forth a new, _enlightened_ era filled with knowledge and shared technology."

Ed's eyes roved from his brother to the weapons that surrounded them. They were standing right in the biggest arsenal in Central and no one but they even knew. Ed had to think quickly, he had to figure out a way to get Alphonse and escape as quickly as they could.

So Ed remained silent, buying himself time by letting the man rant on.

"The military isn't your friend, Fullmetal. They're just using you. They don't appreciate it, not the way we would. You're not really thinking of helping them bring us down now, are you?" Haus asked patronizingly.

Ed frowned. There was a ring of truth to what the man had said, and Ed was reminded of his previous fight with Mustang. But still, the bastard colonel was preferable to these lunatics. Haus didn't have to know that though.

Ed stuffed his hand deep into his pocket and strolled forward. His eyes casually traveled over the weapons being built. "And what if I _do_ join you? What do I get out of it? You said it yourself, I play by my own rules, I work for myself only. What do I get out of this?"

Haus laughed; he seemed to be amused by the young boy's greed. "Why, anything you could dream of my boy! Power and status—a title much more deserving than Central's lone vigilante! All the technology you could ever want to play with. When we take Central, and then all of Amestris, with these wonderful new developments," he gestured to the machines, "we will begin to progress greatly as a nation. That damn military is holding us back, saying this sort of technology is dangerous in the citizens' hands and keeping us from real progress because they want to keep it for themselves. They're making technology into an ugly thing, using it for a war on our enemies."

Ed didn't bother to point out the contradiction.

"First, you will tell us where our man is being held. Much like you," Haus stated, glancing back at Al, "we don't like to leave any of our men behind."

"You know, you might be right." Ed nodded innocently. He tried to muster the friendliest expression he could. "Maybe we are more alike than I thought."

Haus smiled. "I'm glad you can see reasoning, my boy." He turned slightly to attract the attention of his workers. "Now the first order of business—"

"I wasn't done," Ed interrupted.

Haus looked back. He tried to keep the sour look of his face. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Maybe we are alike. But there are sure as hell a lot more difference between us." Ed pulled a small sphere from his pocket he had grabbed during Haus' previous rant. He threw it to the ground and the capsule exploded, sending a thick fog over the area.

Ed heard Haus coughing from the sudden smoke that filled his lungs, and Ed swiped his spear at the noise. Its tip connected with something and the man yelled out. Several other voices were shouting now and Ed could see figures running in and out of the white fog.

Ed pushed forward, running toward where he had last seen Alphonse. The edge of the metal table just came into view as he felt a strong force collide into his side. Ed felt to the hard ground heavily as something landed on him.

Ed twisted his body to see Haus towering over him, his knees stabbing down onto Ed's stomach. Ed's lips parted and gaped for air. His lungs filled with the thick fog and he choked.

"You brat!" Haus growled.

Ed coughed as tears sprang in his eyes.

He watched as Haus pulled some sort of device from his pocket but before the man could make another movement, the blade had erupted from Edward's arm. Ed swiped out wildly, slashing the man's arm and the device flew from his grasp.

Ed fought his way out from Haus' grip. He heard the man yelling after him as Ed stumbled away.

The fog had dispersed almost completely by now and Ed watched Haus stand as well. Ed stopped his fleeing to the nearest weapon-stocked shelf as he heard one of the workers shout.

"Sir—please! That's not ready yet!"

Ed turned to see Haus had scaled the platform where one of his war machines was being built. He shoved the worrisome worker away from the weapon and the man lost his balance and fell from the platform. He landed on the ground with a grotesque thud that made Ed tremble.

Haus was fiddling with a screen built into the bazooka-shaped weapon. Workers were now retreating from the crazed man, obviously aware of how dangerous this was becoming and seeking shelter.

Ed thought to run too but his thoughts went back to Alphonse, lying unconscious on the table not ten yards from Haus and his deadly weapon.

Ed's feet shuffled anxiously as his mind struggled between protecting his own self and refusing to leave Alphonse.

It was Haus who decided for Edward. With one last hysterical laugh and press a button on the weapon with flare, and the long nose of the weapon began to glow as if preparing to shoot out a missile, directed right toward Ed.

Ed gasped as the weapon glowed brighter, and he dove behind the shelf he had peeked out from.

He just had time to curl up, arms protectively over his head, before a large _boom_ erupted from where Haus stood, and Ed was blasted with a wave of heat. Between the weapons on the shelf, Ed could see a glow, a flickering of oranges and whites and yellows, but no missile ever came for him.

Ed stood shakily. The ringing that replaced his sense of hearing caused Ed to become unbalanced. Gripping onto the edge of the shelf, Ed peeked over its side.

His face was met with a stifling hot air. A large fire was roaring on the platform, engulfing the malfunctioned weapon with its flames. Haus was nowhere to be seen, and Ed's stomach dropped as he imagined the fate of the doctor. Similarly, no workers were still present. Either they had sought shelter as Ed had, had escaped from the building, or the unlucky ones that had been too close to the doctor had received his fate as well.

The warehouse was suddenly deserted. Nothing was left behind but Edward—

And Al!

Ed's eyes widened as they landed on his brother, still unmoved from the table.

Ed stumbled forward, rushing to his brother's side.

The air was hotter here, closer to the initial fire that was now spreading. It was engulfing the nearest wall now and burning bits had caught onto the ceiling rafters during the explosion. The air was sweltering, suffocating even. Ed refused to panic even as a very familiar memory threatened to take him.

_No—Al_ needed _him_. No matter how similar the circumstance was, Ed would not be too late to his little brother this time. He would fix Al, and this time they would both escape.

Edward moved as quickly as the flames spread. He grabbed Al's helmet. The surface was growing almost unbearably hot as the fire drew closer. Ed tried to block the heat from his mind even as he began to pant. He brought the helmet to Al's body and quickly affixed it between his shoulders.

"C'mon, _c'mon c'mon c'mon_ ," Ed muttered nervously, bouncing on the balls of his feet. He watched Al's unmoving form with waning hope.

Maybe those bastards had ruined some of Al's circuitry. Ed thought his technology was better than to break so easily, but maybe they had found a way to make Al's body useless.

But a gleam caught Ed's eye. A reflection of the flames on metal as the armor began to move.

"Al!" The shout ripped from Ed's throat, but it was barely heard between the ringing in his ears and the roar of the fire.

Al's helmet moved and his eyes met Ed's. "Brother!" came the barely heard reply.

Ed's relief made him move even more quickly. He undid Al's restraints.

"Brother! What happened?" A gasp emanated from Al as he glanced up at the fire's progress. "Ed—we need to get out of here now."

"I know, Al, I know," Ed said breathlessly and wiped the sweat forming on his brow. He refused to look back as the fire grew in his peripheral. If he didn't look, maybe he could pretend it wasn't growing worse by the second, maybe he wouldn't be reminded of the night they lost everything.

The last strap came undone in Ed's now-blistered hand and Al jumped off the table.

"Come on, the exit's this way," Ed said without hesitation. He ran off toward the way he had come, making sure Al was no more than a pace behind him.

The fire had spread, however. And was growing ever closer to the maze Ed had navigated through to get to the center. There was no telling how long the brothers had to run through the aisles before the path would be blocked by flame.

Ed hesitated at the first row. He swallowed roughly but there was saliva to soothe his parched throat.

A crashing sound came from behind the brothers—a piece of a rafter that had fallen victim to the flames.

"Ed, don't worry. We just need to keep moving." Al's voice pushed through his brother's thoughts. The android moved forward and began through the maze of aisles.

Ed ran after his brother until they were moving side by side.

"Don't worry, I can protect you, Brother," Alphonse stated.

Ed looked up at his brother as tears began to form. Ed tried to tell himself it was the smoke that was stinging his eyes. But Alphonse was willing to protect Ed from the one thing that had ruined the young boy's life so devastatingly. It should be the other way around. Ed was the older brother, _he_ was supposed to be protecting Al. But he couldn't even do that. If he had, the first fire they had been trapped in together would have ended so much differently.

And suddenly Ed was back there. On the night their home had been caught ablaze. Ed could barely see his brother through the haze of black smoke. But he could hear his voice. Oh, how Ed would never forget Al's voice as it screamed for him, screamed for help. But Ed couldn't protect him then, and he was helpless to protect his brother even now.

An explosion akin to the one Haus had created sounded from behind. The other weapons seemed to be catching fire as well. The fire was only spreading quicker now as explosion after explosion went off.

This entire warehouse was filled with flammable electronics. It was only a matter of time until they too were caught in the fire.

_We need to get out, we need to get out_ now.

Ed pushed his head down as the smoke-choked him, and he pushed himself to run faster, run harder.

They were closer now, closer to the exit than Ed had dared himself to hope. He could see the fat and black smoke filtering out through a nearby broken window.

_Just a little bit farther._

Ed tried to say it out loud but his voice caught in his burning throat.

He paused, finding it harder to breathe. The smoke was suffocating him and the running was forcing him to take in deep breaths. He coughed hard and fell to his knees. The air was slightly cleaner on the ground, and Ed breathed it in.

He felt Al's presence as his brother noticed Ed's struggles.

Ed looked up, about to say that he was okay when the fire caught his eyes. He glanced up, seeing it burning the ceiling right above their heads.

A moment later, a piece of it gave way and came crashing down onto the shelf to their right.

Al had just a second to shout, "Look out!" before their whole world changed.

When everything was over, Ed found himself gasping harder than before. It took him a moment to realize what had happened.

The one-fire rafter had fallen atop the nearby shelving unit, causing the fire to spread and fall to the floor as well as cause the shelf to topple over. Alphonse was over Edward now, had blocked the shelf from falling on top of Edward directly.

Al's armor dug into Edward's back, the heat of the metal burned his skin.

Ed panted and looked up at his brother's mask. Al seemed to be saying something but Ed couldn't make out what was being said.

Slowly, tears still leaking from his eyes and cutting tracks through the sweat on Ed's cheeks as he continued to cough, Ed shimmied out from under Al. He crawled away from the wreckage, free. He turned back around shakily to survey the damage.

Alphonse was still stuck, wedged under the heavy metal shelf. His large body was trying to maneuver out, his strong arms pushed at the ground, at the shelf, but he remained pinned.

Ed stepped forward shakily as if in a daze. Then he saw Al's young face, a memory practically superimposed on the present, tears running down Al's pudgy cheeks as he reached for Ed.

Ed ran forward desperately but there was nothing but the metal android once again.

But that was his brother.

Alphonse was Edward's brother no matter what.

Ed would save him.

For once in his _damn life_ , he would actually save Al.

Ed grabbed desperately at the shelf. The metal was unbearably hot and Ed's arms shook with his lessening strength. But he refused. He _refused_ to let go. He was childish for believing he could do this, but he was desperate as the metal blistered his palm and fingers further and warped the metal of his right hand.

He heard Alphonse talking once more, probably telling Ed to save himself but Ed _refused_.

He would not be Icarus this time, burning as he fell. He would be Hercules. He would be strong and he would save the thing most dear to him.

With one last burst of strength, Ed tried to raise the shelf from his brother's back. His fingers slipped from the metal, and Ed cried out.

His body trembled, and he fell as his knees gave out. Ed bowed before his brother. His eyes never left his wounded hands. He stared at them with a lack of understanding, as if it was impossible that he had failed.

Al was talking again. He seemed to have given up as well. He was looking at Ed now, and Ed was surprised by how calm everything had suddenly become. It was surreal. It was comforting. It was almost a relief, giving up. Maybe now that Al had given up, Ed wouldn't have to place so much blame on himself.

Ed's eyes lingered, dazed, to where the shelf met his brother's back. Metal on metal. It seemed to have melded to Alphonse. Soon it would be to Al's core and then it would all be over. Al didn't have much time left, and Ed decided he did not either. He would stay here with his brother until the fire took them both.

This was where they were supposed to die. They both should have died over a year ago in that fire. This was just fate catching up to them, punishing them for thinking they had escaped its clutches.

Ed could barely breathe now. The smoke would suffocate him before the flames even spread to his body. Ed closed his eyes reverently. He only regretted his mortal shell would die before Al's robotic body. It wasn't fair. Once again, Ed was getting the better end of the deal. Al would die alone after watching his brother struggle for his last breath.

Ed felt tears slip from under his eyelids. They were warm, not a relief from the heat that smothered him.

_I'm sorry, Al._

Ed wasn't even sure if he had said it out loud or just in his mind. He wondered if Al was even still with him

He was lying on the floor now. He felt he should open his eyes. Maybe he should comfort his brother but everything was so distant. The warmth was encasing him.

Maybe he really was Icarus. Maybe he had always been destined to be nothing but the boy who got burned for his pride.

And just like Icarus, he felt himself flying.

It wasn't until a suddenly cool blast of air hit him that Ed realized he wasn't flying at all.

Ed's eyes shot open. Gone was the blazing fire, though its image still burned against his stinging eyes. The blackness of the sky was overhead, a stark contrast to the scene that had been enveloping Ed just a minute before.

His head lolled and his warm cheek pressed against something soft. He looked up and saw Mustang's worried face.

It was a shock to his system, and Ed suddenly felt alert. Confused, but awake.

The man wasn't looking at him, he kept his gaze forward, but his lips were moving softly, murmuring reassurances. Ed's aching body was jostled in the man's strong arms as he carried Ed away from the building.

Ed shifted and looked over the man's shoulder. Mustang looked down at the boy for the first time but Ed paid him no attention as he spoke.

The burning building was a dozen yards away now. Ed's face was met with the warm air as he faced the building, though it was nothing compared to the heat that had engulfed him earlier.

"What are you doing?" Ed shouted, except it came out as nothing more than a cracked voice and a soft cry. The fire seemed to have taken the voice from his parched throat.

Al was still in there. Didn't Mustang know that?

Ed couldn't fail. He had to save his brother. No, not again, _not again_. Ed couldn't fail to protect him again. He had made a promise to himself, to Al.

Ed tried to shout again. He coughed. He shoved away from Mustang, struggled to get free.

Mustang's arms were strong, they kept the boy in place.

A hand was at the back of Ed's head. His face was pressed against the colonel's shoulder, the building was blocked from view.

The colonel was yelling now. Ed didn't hear his words.

Ed shoved away and gasped.

The tears were streaming again.

He pounded on the man's chest.

He had to let him go!

Ed didn't want to be saved, not without Al.

He screamed, he cried.

His nails dug into the material of the colonel's uniform, trying desperately to get him to listen.

He shouted at the man.

He heard none of his own words.

Everything was a dream.

Surreal like in the fire, but a nightmare now.

He shoved at the man as the fire's warmth turned into the chill of the night.

Ed struggled.

He yelled.

He fought like the colonel was his greatest enemy

He was.

His cries fell on deaf ears. Mustang didn't acknowledge them.

Maybe Ed was making no sound at all.

Ed bucked once again.

And he was falling falling falling.

He was Icarus after the fall.

He was Fullmetal, wax wings and metal limbs melted by flame.

He was nothing.

He hit the ground hard.

And stayed there.

His vision was blurred. It stung.

Mustang was certainly yelling now.

Muffled words. Incomprehensible shouts.

Ed shoved the man's hand off his shoulder.

He began to crawl.

Shakily, like a newborn baby, like Icarus struggling against the sea.

The building was so far now.

Nothing but a blazing star.

Ed could do nothing as he watched it collapse in on itself all at once.

Then the night was silent.


	6. Chapter 6

Roy Mustang sat as still as the silence that surrounded the spotless kitchen. His hand cupped loosely around a stout glass. Roy had spent the past hour unmoved from his seat at the kitchen table and staring quietly into the three fingers of whiskey that had grown warm long ago. The amber liquid reflected his torn expression under the bright lights of the kitchen.

He knew the ringing that had sounded after Edward had slammed his front door had died long ago but Roy thought he could still hear it.

He wasn't sure why it was bothering so much—arguing with Full—with Edward but it was. He felt powerless. The kid had gone behind his back when Roy had specifically told him not to go out alone. Couldn't the kid understand he was just trying to protect him? It was Roy's duty, as a colonel of the military, to protect this country's citizens. He certainly couldn't let a civilian child go out by himself. Roy couldn't say he was surprised Ed had done it anyway, but he still felt betrayed.

And for all Roy's trouble with implementing strict rules so that Ed stayed _out of the field _and was nothing more than a knowledgeable consultant in the case, Ed had still ended up the one to get injured.

Roy should have been more firm with his orders. He should have pushed Ed further in inquiring about his injuries. Ed was still hurt, Roy could see that, and he had just let the kid walk off, angry. Roy didn't even know if the kid had made it back to his dorm safely. Especially since those criminals had walked away free tonight.

Roy sighed, hanging his head. He should go check on the boy. An ill-feeling had settled in Roy's gut not long after Edward had left, and it tugged at Roy's mind. He knew he had to go.

Roy stood up but he paused. What was worse than failing to keep Ed from getting hurt, for letting him leave angry and still injured, was the look on Edward's face when Roy had brought Alphonse into the argument. The utter look of unforeseen betrayal. The wide-eyed look of hurt that could only come from the child Ed pretended to not be; the brightness of anger in those golden irises when Roy had challenged the existence of the thing Ed considered his brother.

Ed hated him, he must. The look on the boy's face wouldn't leave Roy's mind; there was no way he didn't hate the colonel after a look like that had crossed his face.

But Roy had to go, he had to check up on Ed anyway. He didn't care if Ed was still angry, didn't care if he began to shout again and curse and tell Roy to never contact them again. Roy had to see for himself that the boy was okay if only to quiet the nagging voice in his head.

Ed would probably hate him for that too. But that was just as well, Roy thought. He had already dragged the kid into this. Had already gotten him hurt. Roy wasn't sure what else he could do that _wouldn't_ make the kid disdain him further.

He strode from the kitchen and grabbed his coat in one swift motion as he left the apartment, not giving himself a moment to second guess his decision.

* * *

Empty. The dorm was completely empty, save for its usual furniture, and a few miscellaneous items strewn about as if in a hurry. The colonel swore and slammed his fist against the threshold. Whatever the hell was going on here could spell disaster for not only the military but also the Elric kid, who, Roy was finally admitting, was turning into Roy's responsibility. He had been too late, to whatever happened here, and the colonel was sure as hell going to get to the bottom of it.

He turned from the open dorm room and marched toward the lobby of the dormitory. He swiftly picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number. As the phone rang, Roy glanced around the empty lobby; there was not even a receptionist at this hour. Roy promised he would look into who was slacking in that department when all this was over.

After the third ring, a familiar voice greeted on the other end.

"Call in reinforcements, meet me at the warehouse district on the south side of the city as soon as possible."

Hawkeye's response was a curt "yes sir." She understood the urgency in his tone. She would probably be able to infer at least the gist of what was happening before even arriving at the scene—Hawkeye was like that. They both hung up and Roy was already out of the building and heading south.

* * *

Reinforcements arrived only minutes after Roy stepped out of his car on the outskirts of where the buildings began rising from the barren ground. A plume of black smoke was already polluting the air on the other end of the yard. Roy cursed under his breath as he saw the black cloud rise into the air over all the other buildings.

"Dammit, Elric, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Roy turned to his team and the few other officers that had accompanied them. "Our main priority is to find Edward Elric, commonly referred to as Fullmetal. It seems our targets may have escaped, however, I am assigning a few of you to stay posted on the border of the warehouses just in case. I will be taking my own team to go investigate what is happening in that warehouse." They all turned and gazed at the orange glow in the distance.

Roy glanced back at his team and motioned Hawkeye forward. She stepped up to her superior officer, leaning close when he did so. "We need to procure Alphonse as well, assuming he is with Fullmetal. Edward wouldn't forgive us if he left him behind, for whatever reason."

Hawkeye nodded firmly. "Of course, sir."

Roy straightened. "Alright," his low voice boomed over the small crowd of soldiers, "does everyone know their assignment?"

A clacking of boots, a wave of salutes, and a chorus of 'yes, sir's before they were in action.

Roy and his team of five took off, making a beeline for the one warehouse that stuck out from all the rest with the dark smoke emitting from holes in the structure and the glow of orange in its windows.

The trek was long even when they ran but soon the burning building stood before them. The heat of the fire pressed down on them as Roy turned. The fire warmed his back as he spoke. "We're just here to do a cursory check to make sure Fullmetal is not inside. At the first sign of danger, I want all of you to get out immediately."

"You don't really expect us to go in there, Boss, right?" Havoc spoke up. "Shouldn't we leave this to the fire department?"

"The fire department has yet to arrive, Lieutenant Havoc. We're not here to put the fire out because that is out of our control. We're here just to make sure someone from our team is not in this building." He turned to the rest of his group. "That being said, those who do not wish to join can stand watch outside and alert us of any dangers. I won't force anyone inside. Now, those who wish to come, let's go. We're wasting time out here."

The sudden heat was disorienting. Everything was a blur of orange and flickering and warmth the moment they stepped over the threshold. Roy was pleased to see his whole team had followed. He was proud these were the men—and woman—he chose to follow him, even if most of them did look rather skittish now with the threat of the fire looming over them.

They passed a door lying haphazardly on the cement floor, and several yards from that was an odd scene. Roy paused only for a moment, trying to distinguish what looked to be a large row of shelves that had fallen over, causing its contents to spill all across the floor. Then he noticed—"Edward!"

The boy didn't seem to notice any of the soldiers; Roy's voice and the sound of his boots as he marched forward were lost to the crackling of the nearing fire anyway. Edward's eyes were closed, and Roy's breath caught until he saw the slight trembling of the boy's chest as he struggled for breath. His lips were quivering weakly, and his exposed skin was damp with sweat. But he was alive.

Roy sighed with relief. It was already getting difficult for him to breathe through the polluted air as well. He had to get the boy out. Roy paused, trying to figure out how to lift the kid, unsure if he was hurt anywhere when his eyes flickered up slightly to the wreckage.

And there was Alphonse. Roy frowned. The android wasn't moving nor were the lights that were his eyes even present. The shelf effectively had him pinned; Roy could see that even from where he knelt, and the metal of the shelf seemed to be digging into the metal armor. It would have been a surprise if the android was working by this point. But still, Roy couldn't just leave him.

The colonel turned to his team who had approached with caution. He looked up at Hawkeye, who seemed to be examining Alphonse's state as well. "See what you can do about that," he murmured to her.

The fire reflected in her eyes but Roy saw no fear there; only a strong determination and a slightly suppressed worry. "I will," she said, her eyes not leaving the wreckage. "Now get Edward out of here, sir." She glanced down at her superior. Her face was shining but she still smiled slightly. "We can take it from here."

Roy nodded once. "All of you, be careful. Get out at the first sign of trouble." He couldn't help but glance up at the ceiling, which was already being consumed by flames. He didn't want to leave his team, but he had to have faith in their abilities. They'd never let him down before. They wouldn't be far behind him anyway.

It was Hawkeye's voice that drew him from his thoughts. "Understood," she said, her words barely audible.

Roy turned his attention back to the boy lying in front of him. Not giving himself time to hesitate, Roy scooped the boy up and made his way out of the building. He broke out into a sprint as soon as he passed the open threshold.

Edward seemed to be passing in and out of consciousness. Roy looked down at the boy; he seemed to be unconscious for the moment, or on the very precipice. Ed seemed so much smaller, more vulnerable with his rough exterior stripped away. He was just a kid. But he always had been, hadn't he?

Roy looked around, hoping to find a quicker way to get Ed help when the boy moved. He let out a moan and his face turn in to Roy's shoulder.

"Ed?" The boy's dirty face was hidden from view and he didn't give any indication he had even heard the colonel's words. Roy sighed in an attempt to calm his own nerves. Ed would be fine, his team would be fine. He voiced his thoughts out loud even if Ed wasn't listening. Speaking them out loud made Roy believe they were true. "We'll be there soon, okay? Just relax and try to breathe deeply, Ed."

Ed glanced up but his eyes were slightly glazed. He was completely despondent, detached from the situation, disoriented, confused. Traumatized. His golden eyes rolled over to the warehouse several yards behind them.

Suddenly, Edward was moving. He made a strangled cry that Roy couldn't understand. His words were rough and scratchy, like sandpaper in his throat. His voice faded in and out, and Roy could only make out that Ed was yelling, questioning something incredulous.

He began fighting with a strength Roy didn't believe the kid could have possessed only seconds ago. He was still shouting. Roy could barely hear the cracked words, though he could tell Edward wanted to be let go of. The tears and the fists to his chest were enough to drive any suspicious from Roy's mind.

Roy was shouting now too, yelling above the boy's own cries. His words held no venom though as he tried to reassure the boy that he would be okay and that his team was doing all they could. He put a hand to Ed's head to try to stay the boy's limbs and keep the warehouse from sight; it was obviously distressing him.

"Just calm down, Ed!" Roy could feel the boy's tears soaking into the material of his uniform. His small form shook slightly. "There's nothing you can do anyway, not in your condition. We're doing what we can for Alphonse."

Edward didn't seem to hear him though; Roy wondered briefly if something had damaged the boy's hearing. He was calm for a moment, but that seemed to only be to gather his strength.

He fought for several more minutes; Roy continued to try and get him under control all the while taking them both away from the burning building. It wasn't until Ed bucked, slaying his limbs out suddenly, that Roy lost his grip, and Ed fell from his grip.

Roy's mind took a second to comprehend what had happened. He swore when he saw Ed fall to the ground and remain still. After a beat, Ed got onto his hands, and Roy crouched down next to him, trying to explain to the boy who was deaf to all his words that he was hurt and useless to stop what was already in motion. He put a hand to the boy's shaking shoulder to try and stop his weak form but the boy strongly shoved him away.

There was a rattle and Roy glanced up worriedly. It wasn't until the warehouse came collapsing in on itself that Edward stopped. He halted immediately, his eyes widening, then he shrieked. It was a tortured sound that sounded even more hurt and animalistic by the smoke damage to his throat.

He got up after a second, tears pouring down his cheeks, and began running toward the wreckage with delusional desperation.

It wasn't hard to catch up to the stumbling boy, and Roy caught him around the middle.

This time Ed didn't fight, he just doubled over against Roy's arm, finally succumbing to the sobs that were wracking his shivering body.

* * *

Roy stared down at Edward now. It was almost unfathomable that the boy he was looking at now was the same one that had collapsed in his arms earlier this morning. He was so calm now, under the medically-induced slumber. The dirt had been wiped from his face and the burns had been tended too; the lines of worry and tears were gone as well, replaced with nothing but a calm face and eyelashes that fluttered as he dreamed.

Roy rubbed his hands down his face. It had been a long morning. Roy wouldn't believe all that had happened in the past few hours if the soot and grime weren't still on his clothes and in his hair.

He had gotten the kid to safety, commanded the rest of the officers after discovering that they had apprehended a few of the criminals while they were fleeing, and then had been subjected to waiting. Waiting to hear any news from his team—they had all made it out alive and uninjured, had shown up at the hospital not long after Roy; waiting to know Edward's condition—he had several first and second-degree burns across his back and on his hand and partial deafness from an explosion that had caused the fire, but besides the fact that his metal hand was nearly useless now, he had sustained no permanent damage; and finally waiting, waiting for the kid to wake up. They needed to talk; more so, Roy needed answers.

He fiddled with the strap around his shoulder. He had discovered Ed with the small bag across his body. It contained nothing but a thin, rectangular device, but Roy figured it must have held some significance to Edward. He took it before handing the boy over to the hands of the hospital, knowing Ed wouldn't trust it in the care of its employees. He probably didn't trust the colonel with it either, whatever it was, but Roy couldn't help that.

The boy was deep in sleep still; his golden hair was loose from his usual braid was splayed across the thin hospital pillow. His back was to the colonel; Roy could see the bandages around his torso under the hospital clothes as the boy's body shifted slightly when he snored.

Roy sighed and stood. He couldn't wait here all day; with everything that had happened in the last few hours, he had a lot to sort out. He was needed elsewhere. Without one glance back at the boy, Roy left with a promise to return later.

* * *

Edward woke up alone. And it scared him. The stillness, the silence, the lack of greeting, it unnerved him.

He sat up, none too quickly. His body was stiff but also numbed from what could only be a heavy painkiller. He sat up in bed and looked around at what could only be a hospital room.

Already the calm, warm quiet that the medicine had created was wearing off. Ed felt his heartbeat increase, and he tried to ignore the staccato of his chest as he drew in a shuddering breath.

"Al?" he called softly, afraid of his words breaking the quiet, afraid of his question being met with silence.

His voice was greeted by nothing but the continued stillness of his room.

No, Ed thought. No. He flat-out refused to believe Al wasn't here with him.

Ed swung his legs out of bed and stood. He wobbled slightly but walked nonetheless. He crossed the small room on weak legs. His feet chilled against the cold tiles of the floor, and the full blast of the memory of the fire hit Edward. How hot it had been, how stifling and suffocating the heated air was. It was so cold and calm here; waking up in such a different environment seemed impossible.

Ed grasped the door handle even though it pained his bandaged hand to do so, and he flung the door open.

That was when he came face-to-face with Colonel Mustang, who looked down at him with the same amount of surprise that Ed felt.

Mustang reacted first. He frowned lightly. "Edward," he stated, voice level.

Ed's hand fell from the door. "What's going on?" He hated how young, how weak his voice sounded as it quivered suddenly. He felt vulnerable standing there in a thin hospital gown. His legs shook slightly. He felt alone and threatened with Alphonse not present. Never before had Mustang seemed to loom over him. He took a step back as the man moved into the room.

"You shouldn't be out of bed so soon," he answered as if he hadn't heard the boy pose a question at all.

Ed remained frozen in his spot; he could almost feel the on slot of his world falling down around him. "Where's Al?"

Mustang sat down heavily in the bedside chair. He looked tired and wearier than Ed had ever seen; he didn't project the image of a powerful colonel that he usually did. He looked like a normal human, and Ed's mind couldn't seem to accept that.

"We have some things we need to talk about, Edward."

Ed's hands attempted to clench into fists but between the pain and the bandages and the melted metal, he couldn't. Still, his body tensed, and his hands stayed stiffly at his sides. "Why did you save me but not him? I didn't _ask_ you to save me. I know you don't care about him—or- _or us_ —but you _couldn't_ just leave him alone to _die_ —"

Mustang's head shot up, his hands went up as well in an attempt to pacify the red-faced boy. "No, Ed, I—"

"I already told you we didn't want your help! I should have never gotten involved with any of this! Al would still be—"

"Fullmetal, sit down," Mustang commanded in a voice that was much too strong for his weak state.

Ed's mouth clamped shut in surprise, and he quickly scrubbed the tears out of his eyes. He looked away, refusing to look the colonel in the eye for all he had done to them. He swayed on his feet for a second more. He wanted to disobey the colonel but the exhaustion and aches eventually won out. Ed slumped onto the edge of the bed and glanced up at Mustang.

"Thank you," he said calmly but his voice was strained. "Edward, I think we need to talk."

Edward was almost afraid to speak but it seemed Mustang was waiting for him. "About?" he finally asked with a feeling of trepidation.

Mustang's head turned up and there was a look of determination in his eyes. Still, they were softened with concern. "I think it's time you told the truth. About everything."

Ed swallowed. He knew this was what the colonel had wanted, but Ed wasn't sure he wanted to give it to him. He pushed out a breath of air and picked slowly at the bandages on his hand. His eyes lingered around the room in an attempt to stall the story as long as he could. But he was alone now, wasn't he? He felt pained, he felt numb, at the realization. What did he have left?

Ed blinked the moisture from his eyes and looked down at his lap, sighing once more. "Okay," he mumbled. Then, more strongly, "Al and I were born Resembool, it's in the east—"

"Ed…" Mustang raised a dark eyebrow, a slight indication he thought Ed was lying.

Ed continued with more conviction and looking the colonel in the eye. "Al is—was my younger brother. We were born in Resembool." He curled his legs up and grabbed lightly at his knees. "Our dad left when we were young and our mom died not long after that. We basically raised ourselves, sometimes we stayed with our neighbors though.

"Anyway, Al and I, we got into technology and electronics not long after that." Ed shrugged. "When I was eleven—Al was ten—there was a fire in our house. They were able to save me, but not Al…" His hand went up lightly to touch where his prosthetic met his shoulder. "I lost my arm and my leg in the fire."

Ed inhaled deeply through his nose. He thought about ending the story there but he was committed now. "I guess after Al…after he died, I was a little desperate. I lived with our neighbors since they were prosthetic outfitters. I spent the recuperation time trying to figure out a way to bring Al back, even though I knew it was impossible. But I was a prodigy when it came to technology and I figured there had to be _something_ I could do. I was lonely, and I was scared, and I was delusional and I—"

"And you created that Alphonse," Mustang concluded calmly in an attempt to stop Edward's rant.

Ed's breathing paused and he pulled his hand away from gripping his bangs. Mustang's voice had pulled him from his memories and he nodded numbly. "…Yeah…after that there wasn't much left for me. I made Al and we left Resembool behind us. Thought maybe I could do something here in Central, maybe do something good for once in my life." Ed looked away once again. He didn't have anything else to say. He just waited, waited for the colonel to chew him out with a lecture that was sure to come about how selfish and childish he was.

"Doing that…that's not healthy, Edward."

"I know."

They were quiet for quite some time before Mustang spoke up again. "Are you going to make another Alphonse?"

Ed bit at his lip as it began to quiver. He couldn't. How _could_ he? But Mustang didn't understand that. Ed kept his gaze low and he shook his head. He rubbed the fat tears from his eyes with the heels of his hands.

Mustang didn't say anything for a long time after that. Ed found himself wishing he would speak up or just walk out already instead of leaving them to listen to Ed's choked sobs.

Eventually, the colonel let out a heavy sigh. He began to move from his chair, and it made Edward look up, curious. The man brought Ed's bag into view. "I wanted to talk to you before I decided. I didn't think I'd want you to have it, especially after hearing what you had to say. But I don't feel right keeping this from you, regardless of what you decide to do with it." He sifted through the bag and produced a metal object.

The moment Ed's eyes recognized it, he was out of the bed, practically tackling the man to get it. "Give that to me!"

Mustang, slightly surprised at the boy's sudden agility, handed it over, wondering if it was a mistake.

Ed sat down heavily on the bed, his fingers running over the small round container that was Al's motherboard. "Why would you keep this from me?" he asked. His voice wasn't raging like before but it still demanded an answer.

"Ed, I want you to think before you decide whether or not to make another Alphonse. I want you to think about what you said and what you admitted. Is that really what you would want?"

Ed looked up at the colonel with new tears brimming in his eyes.

Mustang shifted under the boy's intense gaze. "I told my team to try and get Al out when I was trying to get you to safety. They saw the building wasn't going to last much longer so they escaped. After the fire department came and put out the fire, we had a search party go back. Most of Alphonse was destroyed, but it seemed this was still intact. I had briefed Lieutenant Hawkeye on his situation, how that part was important to you both, I asked her to see if they could salvage it."

Ed listened to the man's words, distantly. He could barely wrap his mind around what was sitting in his hands. How hopeless he had felt just moments ago. How alone and terrified, it was almost like after that first fire. The devastation, the depression, the utter sense of failure. And Mustang had tried to keep it from him. Even if his intentions were good, he had no right. This changed things.

"Please leave," Ed said without looking up.

"Just…think about it, Ed. Promise me that." Mustang stood up and deposited Ed's bag by his bed as he did. Ed remained still, head down, so Roy left with a barely audible mutter about returning later with lunch.

The moment the door clicked shut, Ed dove into action.

He grabbed the handheld computer which was still—thankfully—in his bag. He connected one of its wires to Al's motherboard, his chest pounding and tears still silently falling.

He found himself lying on his side with his body curled tightly around both the electronics. His eyes were screwed shut with desperate hope. His body was a statue, the stillness of the room pressed on him. Ed didn't breathe, he didn't think, he just waited.

An agonizing silence. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

Finally. A small sound.

And then Ed felt his chest flutter with unbelievable relief as the tiny voice choked with emotion spoke. The most wonderful sound to break the dreadful silence even if it was nothing more than a hushed whisper.

"So you still don't trust Mustang enough to tell him the truth, do you, Brother?"


	7. Chapter 7

"How are we going to live without her?"

His brother's tears fell liberally down his cheeks; Ed's own remained unshed.

The sun had begun to set; the sky was painted bright red and orange and pink but it was not beautiful.

The grave before them was growing harder to see in the coming darkness.

_It was an epidemic_ , they said. _There was nothing they could do_ , they said.

_How sad_ , they had said, _leaving behind two orphans._

_Where's the husband?_

_How tragic, how pathetic._

None of them offered help.

"We're not, Al."

* * *

There were stacks of tomes on a range of related topics; odds and ends of unfinished projects, scattered wires, miscellaneous pieces of metal. Their father hadn't needed any of it when he left, wherever he had gone.

It started out as a curiosity, formed into a hobby, and suddenly it was an obsession.

Ed found Al and himself spending more time in the study. They stayed locked in the room long after the sun had set and continuously left the Rockbells' earlier to go study.

"The soul is a physical thing," Ed said with conviction one night as he threw the door to their father's study open. It was a week after their mother's funeral. He and Al had run home after Granny had made them dinner and went straight to the study. "You know that guy whose soul they measured? After he died they said he weighed 21 grams lighter. _That was his soul_."

Alphonse nodded as he watched his brother climb the stepstool and pull a thick book down. "Mm-hmm, but what can we do about it?"

They had discussed several theories about souls, but none before seemed to hold any potential.

"The fact that the soul is _real_ is a good enough start!" Ed stepped down and stopped the book on the floor then laid down with it. He flipped through the beginning pages as he lied on his belly. "From there we—we just have to figure out a way to get mom's soul and contain it."

"That makes sense." Al shuffled over with a pile of his own books and settled next to his brother. "So how do we do it?"

* * *

Summer's heat faded into the chill of autumn. Winter came and went, leaving everything damp in its wake. Edward was six, and the brothers finally had their plans thought through.

They developed how to harness the soul first. Ed had drawn out the plans; Al had made a list of everything they needed and checked it over and over.

Coming up with the theory for a soul turned out to be the easy part.

"Hey, Brother?"

"Yeah?" Ed asked as the tip of his pencil tapped against his lips.

"We know how to get mom's soul but…" He hesitated, almost afraid of how his brother would respond. "What about the body?" Even at the young age of five, Al was smart enough to understand decomposition. If they were going to put their mother's soul in her original body, they were far too late.

Ed inhaled, pondering. "I've been thinking about that." He placed his pencil down and deliberately turned to his brother. "We might be able to do something with stem cells, you know?"

Al's mouth twisted down. "Create a new mom?"

Ed shrugged. "Don't say it like that, her soul will still be the same. What other choice do we have?"

"But that's still in the testing stages anyway. Being able to create organs with stem cells is still just a theory, imagine trying to create a whole body! We don't have those kinds of resources, Brother."

Ed grinned. "Not yet. But between you and me, we've got the knowledge to do it! Don't worry about it, Al. Have a little faith in me, will ya?"

Al's mouth quirked into a small smile, and his eyes lingered back down to the book in his lap. "Of course, Brother."

* * *

The years passed. The brothers matured, both physically in the line of their jaws and the leanness of their bodies, as well as their minds as they read book after book and researched every related topic. Their interest never diminished, and their determination only seemed to grow with each year. Childhood still showed in their faces but their minds were far more advanced.

Six years had passed by now. Ed was used to him and Al living on their own, but it still wasn't what he wanted. And if they gave up now, all that time and effort would have been for nothing.

It still seemed they had so far to go. Ed guessed another few years would pass before he and Al had everything prepared and ready.

But the contraption they had patented was nearing completion. To be able to harness a human soul. Ed felt powerful, almost, to have such a machine before him. He smiled giddily just thinking about its potential.

After years, their efforts had finally begun to pay off. Of course, there was no way to actually test it out until the time came, but Edward was sure their theory was flawless. They had both checked every formula, every theory and every possible execution surrounding this machine. Edward barely understood it himself, but they had done it. They had figured out a way to harness a human soul.

Ed reached out with the edge of his shirt and polished the outer surface of the metal contraption. It was a fairly small thing with rather simple features. Several buttons and a command screen dominated one side. On the opposite was a small port where capsules could be hooked up. After all, a soul was a physical thing, it needed a container too.

Ed and Al had discussed time after time a way to transfer a contained soul into a body. They had yet to come up with any possible way of doing so. But Ed didn't give up hope. Being able to capture a soul using this machine was enough of a stretch as it was. They would just have to research more, theorize more, look at the situation in a new way.

Besides, they had time. The brothers still didn't have the resources to create an entire human body, just theories, and a few fairly reliable rumors. It would probably be quite some time before that. They had discussed moving to Central, where technology was much more advanced. In a city such as that, new possibilities would be everywhere. They would certainly be able to speed up the entire process.

But for right now, Ed was just content that their soul console was finished. The construction had taken weeks once all the parts were collected. Their father had left behind a large sum of money before leaving, which their mother handed off to the boys to take care of themselves once she passed. Between that and the small allowance, Granny Pinako would give them for food, the brothers had finally been able to purchase everything they had needed.

The contraption had been finished for several days now but it still made Edward smile every time he looked at it. Oh, the possibilities it held! Not only for the brothers but for mankind itself. Imagine, to be able to unravel death itself. To save a person's soul from a sick or dying body. As soon as they had their mother back, Edward played with the idea of giving his creation to mankind. Lately, he had been dreaming of how the world would benefit from such a piece of machinery; the recognition he would receive.

But most of all, they would have their mother back. No more living on their own, no more trying to raise Al when Ed himself was still a child, no more living a half-life consumed with the future.

"I've been thinking about what we've discussed, and I think we need to head down to Central," Ed stated into the quiet of the study. "There's no way we'd be able to find any more information on stem cells or even how to go about creating something from them out here in Resembool." He chucked to himself. "Now we just gotta figure out an excuse to tell Granny and Winry, huh?" His gaze moved from the metal surface to the other side of the room when his brother didn't respond. "Al?"

"Mm-hm, Brother," Alphonse murmured languidly. He was curled up on his side, using a thick book as a pillow.

"What's wrong?"

Alphonse sighed lightly. "Brother…it's _morning_."

Ed paused. His eyes were drawn to the clock on the wall to see they were well into the early hours of the morning. "Oh." He glanced back at his younger brother. "Go to sleep, Al." Ed grinned. "You don't need to worry about keeping me company. I'll be up in a little bit, okay?"

Alphonse nodded with a tired sound. After a moment he shifted and got to his feet. He rubbed tiredly at his eye as he regarded his older brother. With a tired pout, he gestured to the corner near where the floor met the wall. There was an outlet where several cords were crammed into the small space. "'Member to unplug it when you're done, Brother. And the lights too. You forgot to do it last night an' 'm not coming back down to do it again."

"Sure, Al."

Ed watched his brother nod sleepily before shuffling out of the room. He listened as the creaking of the stairs softened as Al made it up and into their shared bedroom.

Ed turned his attention back to the metal contraption sitting on the floor before him. He glanced down and picked up the small capsule sitting beside it, unnoticed next to the impressive soul capturing machine. Nonetheless, Ed focused his attention on the small object. After all, without this, the machine wouldn't even function.

He turned the object in his hands. The dull light of the lamp caused its dull metal surface to glow yellow. It was round in shape, like a squat cylinder, with ports on its side to hook it up to the machine as well as to the small handheld computer that held all the Elrics' information and research, in case they were ever in need of backing it all up.

Ed's eyes traced the capsule's edge, where the lid fit snuggly over the body.

Would it even be possible to harness a soul and keep it in this world, let alone in this small, unimpressive capsule?

Ed couldn't believe it, but all his research and theories proved it to be true.

He had checked them over and over, making sure there was no loophole, nothing they overlooked. Ed just wasn't sure he was ready to hope. He didn't know how much faith he could put in this contraption, in his _own_ abilities. If this didn't work and his hope came crashing down, Ed wasn't sure he'd be able to pick up the pieces disappointment and devastation would leave behind.

But there was truly no way to tell until they actually tested it out. Which wouldn't be for years, not until everything was ready and everything was as flawless as he and Al could make it.

So why was he worrying so much now?

Ed felt his own eyelids begin to droop. His worrisome thoughts about their future gave way to a desire to go join his brother in slumber.

But still, the doubtfulness tugged at his mind.

Checking everything one last time before he went to sleep wouldn't hurt, right? At least he could sleep more easily then, knowing if there were any bugs, he probably would have caught them by now.

So Ed blinked the sleep from his eyes, set the container down, and got back to work.

* * *

Ed's cheek was warm and achy from being pressed against the metal surface. Upon regaining his scenes, Ed opened his eyes, confused.

He blinked and sat up. He hadn't even realized he had fallen asleep. Ed's eyes flew to the clock to see dawn would be arriving soon. He cursed under his breath. He and Al had chores to do for Granny in the morning, he couldn't afford to be staying up this late.

Quickly, Ed ran his hands over his machine, making sure everything was back in its place. Then he stumbled to his feet and quickly made it to his and Al's room, hoping to grab a few more hours of sleep.

Apparently, sleep was out of Edward's reach tonight.

To Edward, it felt as if the moment he had finally dropped off into sleep snuggly in his bed, an insistent poking began on his shoulder.

A whisper soon joined the irritating touch. "Brother…Ed? Wake up." A rather hard poke into the skin of his shoulder emphasized with an urgent whisper of " _Brother_."

Ed grumbled loudly and he hoped it was clear to Al that he was not happy about being woken up. "What?" he muttered into his pillow.

"Did you hear that?"

Ed pointedly frowned and relaxed back into his pillow with a sigh. He had been asleep, Al knew that. How could he have heard it, whatever it was Al was talking about. "Hear _what_ , Al?"

Alphonse hesitated, and Ed turned his head to look at his brother for the first time. He couldn't see Al's face, just his silhouette illuminated from the light coming in through the window. But his demeanor was one of worry as he shifted from foot to foot.

The younger boy twiddled with his thumbs as he spoke. "I-it sounded like an explosion. Coming from downstairs."

Ed's petulant frown grew into one of disbelief. An Explosion? In their _house_ of all places? "Are you sure you weren't dreaming, Al?"

Al hesitated again. He was aware of how ludicrous his claim was. "Yeah." He paused in a contemplative pose. "I-I think…"

"There. I'm sure that's what it was. You were having a dream while you were waking up and so you thought it was reality. Go back to sleep, Al. Granny wants us at the house by eight." Ed grunted and turned on his side, clearly dismissing his brother.

"Right," Alphonse said uncertainly. When Ed remained still, Alphonse dejectedly walked across the room and climbed back into his bed.

The room was silent once more. Ed's eyes opened with agitation. By now he was fully awake. He couldn't seem to be able to get back to sleep. He tried not to get mad at Alphonse; his brother could be too cautious sometimes and his overactive imagination caused him to have a habit of getting scared more easily. It wasn't his fault, and Ed was glad he was the older brother, helping scare the monsters away from his younger sibling, even though the monsters were nothing more than figments borne from imagination and the dark hours of the night. But still, the lack of sleep irritated Ed.

He sighed and closed his eyes again. He burrowed deeper into his pillows when his nose twitched. There was a twinge in the air now, a very faint acrid smell.

Ed's brow furrowed, and he quickly sat up. He breathed in deeply through his nose and sure enough, the smell was growing stronger. He glanced around the room, looking for its source before his eyes landed on the outline of his brother lying in bed, oblivious and attempting to sleep.

" _Al_."

The pile of blankets that was Alphonse shifted. "Yes, Brother?"

"Did you…light any candles? Or leave the stove on?"

Al sat up on his elbows at that. He looked at his brother with a scrutinizing expression. "No?"

It seemed he came to the same conclusion as Ed by the sudden widening of his round eyes.

Ed hopped out of bed before Al could react. "Wait here. I'm going to go to make sure everything's alright."

Suddenly an explosion didn't seem too far off. Okay, Ed thought as he dashed down the stairs, an explosion was still a bit of stretch but _something_ was going on, and Ed was worried.

He hadn't noticed his limbs had begun shaking until he missed the last step after jumping over two and came crashing down on the hardwood floor.

His knees were stinging, and he was momentarily dazed by the impact. He sat up and shook his head. As he was trying to clear the haze of pain from his mind, Ed caught a flicker out of the corner of his eyes.

Ed felt his heart skip a beat as his eyes trained on the open door to their father's study. He stumbled shakily to his feet and headed for the room, all the while quietly praying that he would stumble into the room and find everything was as it had been when he left it.

Ed grabbed onto the threshold as he reached the study to stop his run. The heat was against his front immediately, like a wall.

Ed stumbled back at the sudden warmth.

His heart rate increased and his shakes turned into trembles as he watched the far wall of the study be engulfed in flames.

Ed backed away. It felt like forever that he stared into those flames but in reality, it must have only been a few seconds before he spun on his socked feet and bolted for the stairs.

What was he supposed to do? What could he do?

Ed felt like crying but he bit at his lip to stop a cry from escaping. Tears wouldn't help a situation like this.

_But it's my fault,_ a small voice whispered in Ed's mind as his feet pounded the stairs.

He left far too many of his electronics plugged in. The soul machine, his computer tablet, plugged in to charge for g who even knew how long, along with all his other electronic gadgets they had been using for research. They must have overheated. How long had he left them like that? Hours certainly, maybe more than a day.

It had been too much electricity, too much energy, for the old outlets in their house to handle.

How could he be so stupid? Alphonse had even warned him about it—

_Alphonse_.

Ed's heart skipped a beat as he stopped at the entrance to their bedroom. Alphonse was sitting up in bed with the same look of confusion on his face, although concern was beginning to trickle in as well.

He studied his brother as Ed stood against the entryway, breathing heavily. The smell of smoke was growing stronger and Ed was reluctant to gasp it in.

"Ed—"

"Get up. Now."

"What's going on?" Ed's panic was contagious. Al's lip quivered as he spoke and quickly threw the blankets off his legs.

"There…the house is on fire. We need to get out." He very much ignored the fact that it had been _his_ doing. Alphonse didn't need to know that. If they made it out—they _would_ make it out, Ed vowed—Ed would keep that knowledge to himself and learn to live with the guilt.

Alphonse moved instantaneously. He listened to his brother without question and he ran to meet him at the threshold. He ran right past Ed then paused when he realized his brother wasn't following. "Brother?" Alphonse urged. "Don't we need to go?"

Ed nodded, still breathing slightly more heavily. "You go ahead. I need to grab the money Mom left us before we get out."

Alphonse hesitated. Then his resolve grew stronger. He frowned defiantly in a way that strongly resembled his older brother. "I'm not leaving you, Brother."

Ed shook his head. "I'm not asking you, Al," he argued. Then more softly, "I'll be right behind you, 'kay? I just gotta go into mom's room and open the safe. It'll only take a minute. I'll meet you outside the house soon."

Alphonse swayed slightly, not wanting to give in. The brothers held a small staring contest, both refusing to back down. But something caught Al's attention and he glanced down the staircase. Fog was beginning to grow thick on the floor from the fire's smoke.

Al looked back at his brother with a serious expression. "Be quick, Brother."

Ed nodded seriously. "Be safe, Al."

"You too." Quickly, the youngest Elric covered his face with the crook of his elbow and ventured speedily down the stairs.

Ed watched his brother turn down the hall for only a second before he flew into action. He ran to his mother's room. He could probably count on his hand the number of times he had entered her room since she had died, but still, he knew exactly where the safe was. He knelt down quickly and took a second to pull his shirt over his nose now as the smell of smoke worsened, then he turned the dial.

The thick door clicked open, and Ed grabbed what money was still in there before rushing from the room, not even bothering to close the safe.

He dashed down the stairs, taking two at a time and being careful not to fall this time.

He burst through the front door and didn't stop until he was several yards from the house.

The cool and clean pre-dawn air was a shock to his system and a relief to his lungs.

Ed allowed himself to relax before he glanced around, realizing there was no presence beside him.

"Al?" he called into the night. Ed could see more easily now as night was beginning to let up; he could see the outlines of trees and he could see the windows of his house flicker orange. But he could not see his brother.

"Alphonse!" Ed yelled loudly and far more urgently. When he was met with no response, he began to panic.

Didn't his idiot brother know how to follow his older brother's directions?

Ed's eyes trained on the house. He let the money fall from his grasp.

Al wouldn't.

Would he?

Ed swore.

He wouldn't still be in there! Al knew better than that, he was smarter than that!

But he was also a reckless idiot like Ed sometimes.

If there was something Ed forgot to grab, something that held value to them, would Al have risked his safety to get it?

Ed thought of their soul machine, thought of all the work they had put into it. This was the first time he had even considered the machine since he had first seen it had helped cause the flames.

Ed certainly wanted to save it; it was their life's work! But his and Al's safety was far more important. Al would recognize that too, right?

_Right?_

Ed cursed angrily but inside he was terrified.

Without a second thought, he dashed back into the house.

The sudden change in the air forced Ed to pause. The smoke was thick now, suffocatingly so. Ed coughed and sputtered as tears sprang from his stinging eyes. He waved a hand in front of his face even though he didn't even need to see to know where to go.

He entered his father's study to find the entire room engulfed in flames. The books, the walls, patches of the ceiling and floor, all had succumbed to the flames.

And in the center was Alphonse. His back was to Edward so he hadn't noticed him enter. Al was shaking violently, he was obviously afraid. But he was determined too, Edward could see that as he watched his brother attempt to lift their machine from the floor.

Al immediately dropped it back to the ground with a yelp. Its metal surface must have been scalding by now.

Al's cry of pain was enough to make Ed snap back out of his thoughts. "Al!" he yelled and ran toward his brother.

Al spun around, and Ed stopped short. There was fire blocking his path. His eyes were entranced by the flames running across the floorboards. After a second they flicked back up to his brother. "Al," he said deliberately. He had to speak loudly over the roar of the fire.

Al was watching him with owlish eyes. He seemed to realize his attempts at saving the machine were futile. Similarly so, he seemed to also notice his path to the only exit was blocked by fire. He stared at Ed, tears forming in his eyes as if his brother would have a solution.

"Al, leave it, we need to get out of here."

" _How_ , Brother?" Al pleaded. He was growing increasingly more desperate. His blistered hands were trembling and his knees looked like they were about to give out. His skin was orange in the glow of the fire and its flames reflected in his tear-filled golden eyes.

Ed reached out his hand over the flames that separated the brothers. "C…come on, Al. I got you. We'll get you out."

Alphonse gave a shaky nod. It was clear he was trying to stay strong even as the tears began to fall. He slowly reached out a shaky hand toward his brother.

Their fingertips were about to brush when there was a loud cracking, and a burning piece of ceiling fell down upon them before either brother could react.

The impact forced Edward to the ground. The rubble had caught his arm, pinning it to the floor. Edward screamed as his arm was submerged in the middle of the flames.

For a moment there was nothing but pain. Overwhelming and nauseating. He could feel it melting his skin, eating away at his limb; he knew he was about to pass out. His stomach churned from the heat, and the smoke in the air almost made him ill.

Ed bit at his lip, unable to ignore the pain the slightest. But he pulled anyway, he used his free hand to pull at his limb for his right arm was certainly useless now. The limb came free rather easily from under the piece of fallen ceiling.

The pain didn't stop however and black splotches danced across Ed's vision. They mingled with the flames that danced before his eyes and threatened to pull him into unconsciousness.

No.

_No_ , Ed thought more determinedly. He wouldn't faint now. Faint now and he would die for sure and Alphonse would—

Ed gasped—then coughed immediately from the large intact of smoke.

When he could breathe again, he stood. His knees gave out after a second however so he remained kneeling. His eyes searched through the wreckage, through the flames. Until his eyes landed on the place where Alphonse had been standing. In his place was a pile of rubble, remnants of the ceiling. Just a mass of flames now.

Ed screamed. It was purely animalistic, wrenched from his throat with pure terror and desperation.

Without thinking he ran to the pile with a renewed strength. He jumped over the flames that blocked his path as best he could. Still, they licked at the skin of his leg as he landed awkwardly and stumbled. The sudden pain caused Ed to fall onto the floor, but that was just as well because the giant burning pile was before him now.

Ed reached out a trembling hand. It paused uncertainly. He wanted to dig through the pile. That was what his heart was telling him to do. But his brain, oh curse his prodigy mind, knew it was futile. Alphonse was gone. There was no way he could survive something like this.

Ed hesitated. He didn't want to give up. It wasn't the way of Edward Elric, to give up. Especially when it came to his brother.

Ed felt tears cascading down his cheeks as he sat there frozen. He was useless, so useless, sitting there sobbing while he decided whether or not his brother was dead. What if Al was still somehow alive, dying in agony while Ed sat there watching because he didn't act fast enough? But Ed's logical side, it knew Al had probably died instantly. Ed wasn't sure which one was worse.

_So what now?_

Ed glanced around. The fire was everywhere. His vision was nothing but a blur of flickering oranges and yellows smothered in a black fog. He glanced toward the door but couldn't find it through the haze.

He concluded that if he was going to give up on Alphonse, he might as well give up on himself too. He was about to give in to this horrid fate and just let himself die in the blaze with his brother when a glint caught his eye.

Though his panic, Ed hadn't realized he was sitting next to his and Al's soul machine. It remained unharmed and Ed stared at it with disdain. _How dare_ it survive unscathed when his brother was gone?

But the resentment fled quickly and Edward's heart skipped a beat as his mind began to work once again.

_They only way to know whether or not it worked was to test it out._

Ed slowly reached for the machine.

His hand grabbed at the capsule that sat untouched beside it. One-handedly, he affixed the capsule to the machine.

Well, he was either damning Alphonse or saving his life.

But if it was between damning him and letting him die, Ed decided he had to at least _try_.

He might grow to regret that decision, a small part of his brain told him, but at that moment all that mattered was the desperation in his heart and the tears on his cheeks, his dead brother, and the loneliness that Al brought with his sudden death.

Ed flipped on all the buttons and the machine roared to life. It was fully charged, that was one good thing to come from forgetting to unplug the cord, and worked well even as the outlet was long gone in the flames. Even so, its screen and lights seemed so dim against the fire's glow, but it was on nonetheless.

_It was working._

Ed fingered the touch screen and soon the machine was buzzing. Ed could feel it vibrating in the floorboards as it attempted to harness his brother's soul.

He stared in disbelief as the machine did exactly what it was designed to do.

With a far too cheerful ding and finishing screen, the machine began to power down. The process was done.

With a shaky left hand, Ed pulled the small capsule from the main mechanism.

Was Al really in here?

Ed didn't know. He didn't have time to check just yet. He didn't know if he dared to hope.

But a small hope flickered in him. Just a dim flame compared to the fire that blazed around him. Maybe it was delusion, made it was delirium from the pressing heat, but Ed felt he could almost sense his brother's soul in that small metal container.

Yeah, he was losing it.

His chest heaved and he choked back a sudden sob.

He shoved the capsule down his shirt for safekeeping, it burned against his skin. With his still working arm, he grabbed the small handheld computer from where it sat next to the machine.

Ed went to stand but the burns on his leg made him cry out.

He stumbled and fell back to his knees.

His eyes scanned over the view before him.

The only way out was back through the flames. He had already worked too hard, lost too much to stop now. The thought of giving up just a few minutes ago now seemed like a far off dream.

Ed bit down hard on his cracked lip. Pulling the computer and the capsule closer to his body, Ed steeled his nerves.

And he ran. He ran through the blaze. He ran as the flames licked at his skin and threatened to pull him down. In the back of his mind, Ed knew he'd have permanent damage, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was _now_ and the door as it grew visible through the thick smoke. All that mattered was the fresh air that welcomed his lungs.

Ed collapsed onto the ground that seemed so, _so_ cold after the inferno that was his house. He faded into a daze, fell into a spell of unconsciousness that was brought one equally by trauma and pain. All that mattered was the hot capsule the pressed against the skin of his chest and the small flame of hope that was slowly turning into a roaring fire.


	8. Chapter 8

His house was gone.

By the time the fire department had arrived and doused the flames, it was already too little too late. There was nothing left to save, and now the little house on the hill was a misshapen pile of charred support beams.

His limbs were gone.

His arm and his leg. They had been burned too severely, damaged beyond repair. Charred and black like his house, useless. Unsalvageable. Pinako explained it to him more gently than Ed would have thought possible after he had first awoken and had a fit of heavy breathing and hysteria when he saw his limbs simply _weren't there_.

He had calmed down exponentially since then. Almost worryingly so. Ed thought he should feel devastated. But now he just felt numb. The heat of the fire was long gone and the room felt cold. Not temperature-wise, but it was uninviting. Ed felt wrong like this wasn't where he belonged. But this was where he was. His mind didn't seem to want to accept his reality.

His brother was gone

Maybe. No, certainly.

There was no clock in his recovery room so if Ed had wanted to know long he had been staring despondently at the blank, white ceiling, he would have to judge by angles of light slanting in through the window. Ed couldn't bring himself to care, though he knew it had been several hours since he had initially awoken. After his panic attack, he had slipped into a state of numbness, simply trying not to think.

Thinking meant hurting, thinking meant devastation, thinking might make him actually feel everything he had lost and if he thought about that, Ed knew he would fall into a pit of despair and disrepair.

Which brought his eyes to the small container sitting innocuously on his bedside table. The thought of it had been tugging at the back of his mind, trying to pierce the numbness but falling just short.

He had to find out if Al's soul was in there. Ed's logical mind was still there, small and quiet and irritating. It was a tiny clear patch in the clouds of his mind that told him he had to check.

His hand was itching. He _had_ to do it.

But he wouldn't. He couldn't.

If Al's soul hadn't been saved, if Ed had really let his brother die, that would truly be the thing to send him straight over the edge.

He had been so naive. To think a machine could actually capture a soul. Ridiculous. His mother had been dead for years, had he really believed all this time they could actually still retrieve her soul? Or that it was even possible to harness a soul at all?

Ed was almost embarrassed by how much he had truly believed it. Being faced with such loss now, Ed felt bitter, he felt resentful; even if he was numb, the self-loathing still somehow got through. They had put so much time and effort into chasing such a childish dream. Why would something like that ever work? He was so arrogant, thinking he could undo death and save a deceased's soul.

But Ed's logical mind poked through once again. Not checking would be cruel. If somehow Alphonse's soul had been saved, Ed had to check.

His eyes stared at the metal container. His gaze was intense and everything around the small object seemed to blur with unimportance.

He reached out before he realized he was doing it and pulled the container onto his lap.

His fingers traced its edges and for a moment he just let himself fall into a trance as he took in the details of the container with a renewed interest.

"Alphonse," Ed whispered. His voice was hushed and reverent. His lips were chapped and they shook slightly as he spoke. His quiet tone seemed too loud in the stillness of the room; it reinforced the realization that Ed might truly be alone. If he was or if he wasn't, he still had to say it. He had to say it before he found out; to say it now would solidify its meaning. He meant it now, regardless of what happened, and he would know that was how he truly felt.

"I'm sorry, Al. I'm so sorry," was all he said but the words held deep emotion; they finally broke up the numbness in his mind with a cracked voice and a lump in his throat.

With that, Ed grabbed his computer tablet from where it was on the table where it had been resting under the container before Ed had taken it.

With a hand that shook with a bit of effort, Ed connected the container to the computer's cord.

Ed forgot to breathe. He was completely still except for the heavy beat of his heart

Edward couldn't find his words. He was utterly terrified to have them be met with no response. Never before had silence seemed too daunting. His throat ached with the onslaught of tears but he still found the strength to call out, "Al?"

It was nothing but a whisper only audible due to the utter silence of the room

The reply came immediately. An equally hushed cry of "Brother," and Ed sunk deeper into his bed with obvious relief. He released his held breath and tears came with it as he held the container tighter in his grip.

"Alphonse," he cried with disbelief. Beautiful, beautiful disbelief. His voice was cracked and sounded so weak and sick but it was rich with emotion, pure emotion that shattered his numbness completely as Ed began to cry harder.

Alphonse spoke again, tears clear in the boy's disembodied voice. "I'm here. Brother, I'm here. It's okay."

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, A-Al." Ed's already incomprehensible words turned into sobs as he curled around the container on his side. All the while Al's voice never left him, after all, it was the only part of his brother left. He remained Edward's rock, and even though his voice shook, he reassured Ed he had nothing to apologize for and that he would forgive him if he did, repeatedly saying _it's okay...it's okay...I'm still alive, Brother...it's okay..._

* * *

While the relief of finding his brother alive never truly left Ed, his guilt began to return, and soon he was feeling bad about feeling so relieved.

He had damned Al. He remembered thinking that while in the burning house but desperation had pushed him to try it anyway. The dust had settled now and Ed had time to think. And that thinking he had so tried to avoid made him feel guilty.

Al didn't have a body. While Ed had gotten out with most of himself intact, even when it was his fault they were in this situation in the first place. Al couldn't move with the way he was. He couldn't even talk unless he was hooked up to Edward's tablet, or some other mechanism. The soul container that now held Al was not just a simple container; it couldn't be, to have the capability to hold a human soul. However, the brothers had yet to find a way to equip the container with the ability to allow the soul to speak. Al could still see and hear through the container that held him, however, the container had nothing similar to speakers, so Alphonse would have to rely on his connection to the computer to voice his thoughts until Ed could think of a better way.

That only served to scare Edward further. If something were to happen to the tablet, how could he hear Al? Their development on more efficient containers was now at a standstill with their soul machine destroy and Al's soul already contained and with no plausible way to transfer his soul to a better-equipped capsule.

But Ed didn't want to be consumed by his grief. No. He had Al, and that's what mattered. Instead, he would use it to propel himself forward. He was a prodigy, dammit. If anyone could do something about this, it was Edward Elric.

While Edward was having this inner struggle, Alphonse continued to talk. He must have known Edward secretly needed the reassurance his brother was still with him. He tried to talk casually, of topics with no real importance, to keep Ed's mind occupied. It was clear he was certainly shaken up but he kept his voice strong; he also realized Ed needed the strength right now until he found his own once again.

Al asked Edward about how he felt and Ed was just beginning his answer when the door creaked and slowly opened.

Winry appeared on the other side with a water basin against her hip and a confused look on her face.

"Ed," she said as if he was made of glass, like he was something fragile that would break with a loud noise. She seemed hesitant and unsure of how to pose what she wanted to say. Eventually, she stated, "I thought I heard you talking."

Ed's gaze flickered to Al's container and back too Winry before she even noticed. Alphonse was noticeably quiet because, like his brother, he wasn't sure how to explain it all to their oblivious friend. It was Ed that spoke up.

With uncharacteristic gentleness, he gestured Winry toward his bed with a quiet "Come here."

Perplexed, and slightly worried, Winry did as she was told. Her eyes fell upon the capsule when she noticed the way Ed held it close to his body.

"Ed..."

"Winry..." he faltered. He didn't know what to say.

Alphonse understood though and he tentatively spoke up. "I'm here too, Winry."

Winry's already large eyes grew wide, and she took a stumbling step back. "A-Al-" she exclaimed, staring intensely at the small canister. Her gaze flew to Ed, back to Al then finally landed on Ed. "What is going on?" she pleaded.

Both boys hesitated. The truth would have to be revealed sooner or later if they wanted any help from their childhood friend

So Ed told her everything. He explained how they wanted to bring their mom back, all the research, all the time, all the effort.

Winry had begun to cry partway during the story. She yelled when it ended, then cried some more before embracing them both.

Ed awkwardly patted his friend on the shoulder even as she scolded him more, but there was no heat to her words. Ed knew she was only worried for them, relieved they were both alive, and saddened by the situation they were now in.

When they had finally disengaged, Ed had shyly looked away, partly because of their embrace but also because he wasn't used to asking for help, especially from Winry. She was usually the one he kept everything from. That was wrong, Ed knew now. So he steeled himself and looked up with that old fiery determination before clearly saying, "Winry, we need your help."

* * *

The plan was to create a new body for Al. To do that he needed new limbs. To get new limbs, Ed needed Winry. After all, she and Granny Pinako were the best prosthetic limb outfitters in the eastern sector.

After Al had his body back, they would pick up right where they left off with trying to create a human body. Not for their mother, no; their soul machine had perished in that fire and Ed wasn't willing to attempt to make it again nor put himself and Al through the tribulations that came with doing that.

Now it was for Al. Ed wouldn't let his brother live a life as a half-android forever but that was the best they could do for now. At least then he would be mobile and not a sitting metal object.

From there they would head to Central just as they had planned and further study stem cells, biological research, and how to create an entire human body from scratch.

It was easier said than done: Ed admitted that it would be a lot of effort. But he was willing, and Al was too; and if it was for his little brother, Ed was willing to do anything.

"Take it easy," Winry had told him once, not long after his prosthetics had been fitted to his limbs.

Ed had nodded to mollify his friend, but inside his determination burned bright. The harder he pushed, the quicker he'd be back on his feet, and the sooner he could get Al his body back.

Getting back on his feet, however, turned out to be more difficult than Ed had anticipated.

Ed had spent the first few weeks just sitting around, feeling useless. During these weeks when he was immobile, he would sit and plan Al's robotic body. His drawings and blueprints were practically scribbles due to losing his dominant hand in the fire. But after drawing, they began to form decipherable shapes. Sometimes Winry would help, either by drawing a particularly difficult piece Ed's inexperienced hand couldn't get or by buying them small pieces that would go into the larger whole.

Day after day, it was a blur of healing and pain, restless nights and busy days; it was nothing but lying around and waiting to Ed; he was growing increasingly stir crazy. Al tried to be patient with his older brother, telling him to be patient, and Ed did his best to listen, knowing that was the least he could do for Alphonse.

The day Ed was fitted with his prosthetics could not have come sooner. They were the highest quality available in the East, and Ed was thankful he had saved their money for the costly limbs. They were anchored to his thigh and shoulder and connected to his nerves to allow Ed a higher range of motion than normal prosthetics.

But even with the advanced limbs, it still took Ed several attempts before he could stand, let alone walk.

It began with wobbly legs and stumbling steps. With hanging onto the bedpost until Ed eventually found his own footing and made it several feet before falling into Winry's arms. But he had made it nonetheless; he had found it in himself to keep moving forward.

The brothers left not long after that. A few months, for Ed to get used to walking on a prosthetic and gripping things without actually feeling them, in addition to finishing Al's android body and fitting the soul container inside before making a few last-minute adjustments. After that, the brothers were ready to go.

Pinako had advised Ed they were being reckless; Ed assured her he would take it easy. They would only be going to Central for research, he told her, pointedly leaving out the fact that they would be vagabonds who didn't plan on returning home until they reached their goal. He assured her they still had enough money to find a place to stay, which was a lie; they still had a small sum of money, but Ed knew he and Al would most likely spend the money on whatever would help them on their journey instead.

Blissfully ignorant and still somewhat reluctant, the Rockbells had seen the Elrics off, telling them to come back if they had any trouble. The brothers would always be welcomed there.

The Elrics left with high hopes and arrived in Central to have those hopes quickly dashed. Ed decided they probably should have planned out everything better; they had arrived in the huge city with nowhere to go and no place in mind to start.

But it would be okay. It was only the first day; Ed wouldn't let his hope die out so quickly as he and Al had settled into an alley that night. The next day they scoured the city for any lead, any place that would lead them further in their research. The brothers ended up at the library, where they spent their time until it closed, and left none the wiser on what they were searching for, and returned to their alleyway to rest.

The days passed by, all the same. Finding anything related to stem cells or something similar proved to be nearly impossible to find. Maybe they had overestimated Central and how advanced it had been; out in Resembool maybe they had dreamed too much of the faraway city. But now they were here and stuck just as much as they had been back home.

On their fifth day in Central—or was it their sixth? Ed was beginning to lose count—a rainstorm had rolled into the heart of the city. The brothers ran through the streets and ducked under the balcony of a closed building to keep their metal parts dry.

Ed pulled a spare shirt from his suitcase and immediately wiped down his exposed metal prosthetic arm.

"Brother," Alphonse began hesitantly as Ed began drying his armor as well.

"What is it?" Ed asked slowly as he noticed his brother's reluctance.

After days of dead ends, both the brothers were feeling the heavyweight of disappointment. It was evident in their short sentences and murmured words; their quiets nights and growing apathy. The despair was apparent in Alphonse's voice as he spoke. "Maybe…I mean, if we can't find anything here in Central…maybe we could find Dad and ask him for help. If he had all that stuff in his study, he must know—"

"Like hell we are," Ed muttered quietly but with fire in his words; like a pot of water slowly simmering.

Alphonse turned around to try and face his brother. "But, Ed, we've been searching for _days_ with nothing to show for it, and not even a direction to go in—"

"You're ready to give up so easily, Al? You want a real body again, don't you?"

"Of course I do!" Alphonse yelled then quieted when he saw the deep look of guilt cross his brother's face. He turned forward and glanced down at his knees. "At least trying to find Dad might help us get closer to doing that."

Ed continued rubbing the moisture from his brother's armor back, his movements continuously getting more aggressive. "And how would we even _find_ him? We haven't heard from that bastard in years. He left without a trace, he doesn't want anything to do with us, Al."

The brothers grew quiet and the rain continued to patter down over their heads. A quiet _dammit_ muttered from Ed was the first thing to sound in the rain after several minutes.

Alphonse sat up straighter and glanced back. "What is it?" he asked worriedly.

Ed had a frown pointed with worry on his face. His eyes were trained on something Alphonse couldn't see from over his shoulder.

After a heavy paused, Ed said, "It looks like you have water damage." Ed stood up taller and looked into the large seam where Al's helmet met his shoulders.

Alphonse didn't respond. It was the last thing they needed; to have to find a part, let alone pay for it when he and Ed were both trying to save their minimum funds for their research. "What do we do?" Al asked quietly.

"We'll have to replace the part," Ed stated. He began mumbling like he was talking to himself. "It doesn't seem too bad now but we can't just keep it there, it could affect your circuitry if not properly fixed. And I won't be able to speak if your body shuts down since it only works if every part is attached and working properly."

"And how do we do that? We're supposed to be saving our money for our research…"

"I know." Alphonse watched as his brother plopped down next to him with a heavy sigh. "Don't worry, Al, I'll think of something.

* * *

Edward always prided himself on being the oldest brother. It meant he was something to be looked up to; he was someone that always did what was right because he knew he had to set an example. But more than that, Ed was the provider now. And sometimes being the provider meant bending the rules.

Or maybe even breaking them completely.

And by rules, Ed knew he meant the law. But it was for Alphonse and there was no other way. Not unless they wanted to pack up their bags and head back to Resembool, proving they couldn't even live on their own for even a week.

Ed had been failing as an older brother to Al for quite a while now, putting him in that body, leading him through dead ends once in Central; Ed wasn't going to fail at this too.

The rain cleared up by the early hours of the morning, and Edward couldn't have asked for perfect timing because his plan was set and ready to be put in motion.

He hadn't explicated told Alphonse what the plan was but Ed had an inkling his brother had figured it out along the way as Ed led them through a series of alleyways. They emerged onto a small street that was dead at this time of night. _Seedy_ , is a word Ed would have used to describe it, but his mind was preoccupied. He tried not to think about how a _seedy_ place was exactly where he belonged if he really was about to go through with this.

They stopped midway down the street, in front of an electronics store they had passed several days before.

Ed sighed in an attempt to stall the inevitable.

"C'mon," he eventually whispered with a small hand gesture for Al to follow him, "let's go 'round back."

"Wait," Alphonse said from behind, but followed nonetheless, "you're not really planning on us robbing this place, are you, Brother?"

Ed just looked back at his brother with an intense gaze that begged Al to forgive him. Ed looked up, where there was a window, already broken, set high up in the brick wall. By the looks of its exterior, Ed would have guessed the store was already abandoned had he not seen people shopping inside a few days before. "Well, that makes things easier," Ed muttered as he studied the broken glass. He turned to his brother. "Al, hoist me up."

"Brother…are you sure?"

"'Course. Now the quicker we do this the quicker we can escape and fix you, okay?"

Al sighed quietly and cupped his hands. Ed gracefully stepped onto them and gripped the window's ledge once it was in his reach.

"Are you sure you should go in by yourself?"

"It'll be no problem," Ed grunted as he shimmed through the window. "I'll be in and out before you know it." He took a moment to survey the inside of the store before crawling inside and disappearing from Al's sight.

Ed landed heavily, but upright, on the linoleum floor. He cringed slightly at his loud entrance but it wasn't like anyone would hear him, so he quickly stood and began down the first aisle. His eyes quickly scanned over the rows of items. The pieces of metal glinted in the dim moonlight that filtered in through the storefront. It gave the entire inside of the store an eerie, almost surreal feel.

Ed felt his body itching and his palms were beginning to sweat; his joints were beginning to ache as his resolve was beginning to unravel. This was for Al, he had to remind himself. Thinking of Al would make him stronger, make him move quicker.

Ed turned down the next aisle and quickly had to cover his mouth before a surprised screamed could escape.

_There was someone else in the store._

Ed tried to duck away but his muffled yelp and the squeak of his boots as he turned had alerted the man. Ed could hear the footsteps behind him. The man was yelling now, telling Rd to stop, as if the boy would actually listen.

This was a mistake, Ed screamed in his head. His heart was pounding, threatening to burst from his ribs. He turned the corner and the store's front door came into view just to be blocked by a second person as he stepped out from the nearest isle.

Ed skidded to a halt and crashed directly into the second man; he ricocheted right off the criminal's chest and stumbled back onto the floor.

"Damn kid," the one behind Edward said with heavy breaths.

"Looks like we weren't the only ones with this idea, huh?" the other one chuckled maliciously as he swung a pair of stolen wires casually in his hand.

The two glanced down at Ed, who was slowly inching away from them in hopes of being discreet. The boy stopped immediately once he had been spotted.

The man holding the wires sneered at him. "Sorry, kid," he said unapologetically, "you know we can't let ya walk away from here now."

Ed felt his flesh limbs beginning to shake. He knew he had to run or fight or do _something_ but he remained sitting, an easy target.

It wasn't until one of them took a swing at Ed that Ed realized the other man was holding a blunt object in his hand.

Ed swung around and gained his footing. He sped down the aisle and turned the corner, almost slipping from his speed

He had to think. He had to think, he had to do _something_.

A shaft of light caught Ed's attention and the window he had used before came into view.

Ed skidded to a halt and began climbing the nearest shelf without hesitation. He could hear the two approaching, heavy boots thudding against the hard floor, even over the clanging as Ed climbed higher.

His fingertips had just brushed the window sill when a large hand clamped onto Ed's prosthetic leg. 

Ed let out a yelp and immediately began kicking against the tight grip.

The fighting continued with grunts and the clambering of metal as the shelf was rattled. The two were at a stalemate for a minute before Ed kicked furiously, and everything remained still for a moment before Edward was air born as the shelf tipped forward.

There was a cacophony ringing throughout the store as the large metal shelf toppled over with all its contents spilling out. Ed had been thrown during the shelf's descent and had been thrown across the floor. He remained unscathed, saved for a sore side, but at least the unit had not fallen on top of him. 

After a moment to regain his senses, Ed realized his opponent had not been so lucky.

The man was trapped under the shelf now. He remained still and Ed had to hope he was only unconscious.

"You—" an angered shout pulled Ed from his thoughts and made him whip his head around.

The shock of the fall had made Edward forget he had been fleeing from two opponents. Ed made to stand but his balance had been momentarily thrown off from his landing. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as the man prowled closer. However, he did not get to unleash his rage as there was a sudden shattering of glass from the storefront that made them both stop and look.

There was a clanking of metal and a call of "Brother!" as the metal sound grew closer.

The man swiftly turned around as Alphonse came into view. He could do nothing but begin to raise his weapon before the youngest Elric assessed the situation and punched the man out cold. He fell to the floor in a heap and the entire fight ended anticlimactically, not that Edward would complain.

He glanced up from his spot on the floor amidst the scattered items and looked at his younger brother. "Alphonse..."

"Sorry, Brother," he said, tiptoeing through the mess to get to Ed. "I heard the commotion from outside and came to make sure you were alright." He knelt down next to his brother with a forced chuckle. "It looked like it's a good thing I did. Are you okay, Ed?"

"Yeah, m'fine," he grunted as Alphonse tried to help him up. "Just banged up my side a little." Ed could already feel his ribs bruising.

"Do you need to go to the hospital?" Al asked quietly, knowing that having to seek help was what landed them here in the first place.

Ed puffed out hos cheeked and said, "Like hell. I'm alright, Al." He stood up straighter and moved away from his brother's outstretched hands. "We still have to find your part. Let's hurry before all this commotion brings unwanted attention."

Ten minutes of searching through the wreckage and darkness of the store passed before the brothers stumbled upon what they needed. Ed quickly pocketed the small circuit board and turned to go when Alphonse stopped him.

"Wait. What do we do about them? Are we just gonna leave them there?"

Ed turned back and studied the wreckage seriously for a moment before stating, "You're right." He walked back over to where the two men lied, grabbing a loop of thick cable off a nearby shelf as he did.

Ed quickly tied the two men to the fallen shelf tightly so they could not escape. "We'll let the authorities deal with these two." He stood up and walked over to his brother. "Kinda makes what we did seem not quite so bad, huh? Catching these robbers almost negates the fact that we're stealing too."

"I don't know, Brother," Alphonse said skeptically.

"Aw, c'mon," Ed said with a glint of a smile that hadn't been seen in days. "Think of it as...an equivalent exchange."

Over the next few months, the boys had found themselves falling into this routine. Ed never expected to be living the life of a criminal, but he was a thief borne out of necessity, and their situation was desperate enough that Ed was willing to do it. Besides, they didn't just steal, they fought criminals as well. For everything they stole, the brothers stopped another crime from occurring.

Weeks after they arrived in Central, the brothers were very well off. They had found a small, abandoned shack, which was now stocked with food and other goods, each taken after they had helped stopped a criminal. Soon it was not only food and necessity's that the boys were taking; soon it was pieces and scraps, electronics to help them in the pursuit of criminals; Edward even began upgrading his own prosthetics to better suit his new life.

The brothers would often sit by their military radio—which Ed had stolen in exchange for stopping a kidnapping—when they needed something. It was their morals that didn't allow them to just go steal after that first night. They would wait until there was a job they could handle then reward themselves by taking what it was they needed and nothing more. They were helping the government by stopping the crooks and taking what they deserved in return.

At least that's how Ed viewed it. If he kept thinking that way, believing he still had morals, then he'd be able to live with it.

Soon the boys found themselves wrapped up entirely in their vigilante justice. Ed found himself obsessed with it much the way he had been obsessed with bringing their mother back.

Ed still told himself day after day that soon they'd find a lead, one day they'd find a way to get Al's body back. They were at a dead-end anyway and so every day they became more and more integrated into the world of fighting crime.

It wasn't until the two had found themselves caught at a crime scene, four months after arriving in Central, and had been introduced to a certain Colonel Mustang that all that came to a screeching halt.

* * *

_“So you still don't trust Mustang enough to tell him the truth, do you, Brother?"_

Ed squeezed his eyes tighter and he felt tears sneak out between closed eyelids and make a track down his cheek and over the bridge of his nose. "Of course not," he whispered. His voice was hushed with shock and relief. He curled in more and held Alphonse even tighter to his middle. "I thought you were dead. There was no point."

"But I'm alive, Ed. I'm okay."

"I know," Ed said, but the tears were coming harder now. "I know."

"Brother," Alphonse said after a weighty pause. "I think we need to tell him. We really don't have much to lose that this point."

Ed blinked his eyes open. His eyelashes stuck from the dried tears and felt sticky until he rubbed at them.

Oh, how wrong his little brother was. There was still so much they could lose. Was this Al's way of saying he had given up? He had nobody still and even his temporary body was gone now too. They'd have to build it from scratch. Going about things the way they had—aka stealing what they needed—would set them back months until they would have enough to rebuild Al's body.

Suddenly all that vigilantism seemed to be for nothing. What did they really have to show for it? Sure, a glorified title and a roomful of gadgets. But the brothers had set out with a singular goal in mind. It had been months, and they had yet to make any headway. It wasn't until now that Ed realized just how far from the path they had strayed. And in that sense, maybe Al was right. What did they really have to lose?

"Fine," Ed sighed eventually into the quiet room. "'We’ll tell him."


	9. Chapter 9

_Start by pulling him out of another fire,_

_and putting him back together with the pieces_

_you find on the floor._

- _Start Here_ Caitlyn Siehl

* * *

Colonel Mustang knocked twice and received no response. With a sigh, he placed the tray to his hip and tried the door's handle to find it was still unlocked. Roy quietly pushed the door open and closed it behind himself once he entered the quiet room.

He looked to the bed in the center, where a small lump of blankets occupied its space. Roy could just see one side of Ed's face. The boy had rolled back onto his side, his back once again turned to Roy. The colonel could faintly make out the dried tear tracks on the kid's face, and he held something tightly to his curled form. His eyes were closed now, and Roy guessed he had fallen back to sleep.

Still, he curiously called out, "Edward?"

When no response came, as Roy had guessed, he walked across the room and deposited the tray full of food on the bedside table and turned to leave.

A small voice stopped him midstep.

"Colonel?"

Roy paused and turned back toward the bed. He thought maybe he had been imagining it, but Ed's eyes were open now. He was still in the same position, his gaze stared off into the distance pensively. Roy knew there was something on his mind; he could see the conflict in the boy's golden eyes.

"Edward. Did I wake you?"

Ed closed his eyes slowly and sighed. After a drawn-out pause, his eyes reopened. "No," Ed answered with his gaze still trained on the opposite wall.

"Alright. Well." Roy gestured to the tray that Ed couldn't even see. "There's food if you want it. To be honest, hospital food is never the best, but I figured you must be hungry." The tension was still palpable in the room, and Roy guessed the boy still hadn't forgiven him for keeping Alphonse from him this morning. "Unless you need anything else, I'll be going." Roy didn't even wait for a response, but as he turned to go, Ed's voice stopped him once more.

"Mustang, wait," he muttered. Finally, the boy turned onto his back and looked the colonel in the eye with apprehensive.

"Yes?"

The boy seemed to sink into the mattress slightly. He shifted on the bed and brought Al's metal piece onto his lap. The boy's fingers fidgeted with the object so he wouldn't have to look at the colonel anymore.

"I, uh… have to tell you something."

"Alright," Roy answered slowly. His eyes never left Edward, trying to gauge what could be troubling the boy so much, as he found his way to the bedside chair. He rested his elbows against his knees and leaned forward. "What is it?"

Ed paused. Then his eyes flickered up to meet Roy's with an intense determination that almost made Roy sit back. "I…" Ed's mouth hung open for a moment as he tried to get the words out. He inhaled quietly before strongly blurting, _"I lied."_

Roy opened his mouth, conflicted and torn between asking what Ed was talking about and making a comment about how he wasn't surprised the boy had lied about at least _something_. But before Roy could get a word in edgewise, Ed began talking once more, talking fast, his words pushed together with shaky emotion; the truth was ready to be told.

* * *

Roy stared at the boy long after his story had finished. He had been completely caught off guard by the boy's sudden candor. He wasn't sure how long his eyes stayed trained on the rapidly blinking boy as his bandaged fingers twiddled at the small capsule in his lap. Roy's eyes flickered to the container—no, no he shouldn't call it that. He couldn't, not now…now that he _knew_.

Overwhelmed, Roy sighed and rested against his knees.

Ed glanced up worriedly at the sound as if expecting a reprimanding.

"If I had known..." Roy said and an ironic smile suddenly quirked the corner of his lip. "...I wouldn't have kept you in that bag for so long. I apologize, Alphonse."

Edward visibly deflated with relief at the man's calm words but remained silent. It was his brother who spoke up with a chuckled that sounded like he had no idea what to make of the situation. "It's okay, sir."

"So that's it?" Ed asked, thickly. To Roy, his words sounded guarded. The boy's gaze was trained on his brother's container but Roy knew the question was directed at him.

He waited for Ed to elaborate but the boy remained still, downturned eyes unwavering.

He colonel wasn't sure what else to say. He supposed that _was_ it. And he supposed Edward had been hesitant to explain his story for a multitude of reasons and had been expecting backlash once Roy knew the truth. Roy understood that. He was part of the military that went after people like Ed and his brother. They were criminals, master thieves; they had created their own system to take from the law and turn it into acts of heroism. No wonder the kid had been so secretive, no wonder he had been so eager to cut ties with the military. He had been helping the very people that could bring him to justice.

And Roy had been dangling that over the boy's head the entire time, though he hadn't known the depths of the boys' illegal activity then. And what would it mean for the brothers had they been caught, had Roy followed through with his threats or chose to turn them in now for their countless robberies? An end to a journey that had barely begun. The brothers being separated, no doubt. Al could be taken into custody and prodded and experimented on; Ed could be punished for all he had initiated.

Roy understood the boy's obvious reluctance, he understood it well now. And he understood the tense quiet radiating from Edward now; he was waiting for his life to crumble, waiting in the calm before the storm.

Roy straightened his shirt front and sat up, trying to act unfazed by the boys' peculiar story that was still fresh in his mind. "Yes," he conceded, "I suppose that's it."

Through his bangs, Ed glanced up with a timid expression Roy had never seen grace the boy's face before. "What are you going to do to us?" he asked, almost resentfully.

"Nothing," Roy stated simply.

Ed looked up fully at that. "Nothing?"

"Nothing."

Ed's face grew a tint redder. It twisted into a more familiar expression as he scowled at the colonel. "You've been threatening us this entire time and when I _finally_ tell you _every damn thing_ we've done, you decide you're not going to do anything about it?" He swept out an arm to punctuate his words. "Stop playing with us, Mustang! If you're going to punish us, just _do it_. I wouldn't blame you after everything we've done!"

Roy stood up and Ed furiously held the man's gaze a second longer before turning away.

"There's a section of the Central Library where all the latest medical finds are held."

Ed looked up again, not enough to meet the man's eye, but enough to show the glint of frustration in his expression. "That's in the restricted section. It's for military personnel use only."

The colonel nodded. "Of course. These are invaluable medical finds, theories, and research we're talking about. In the wrong hands, that could create hell for Amestris."

Ed glared at him. "So, what? Is that what you're going to do to punish us? Dangle the thing we've been searching for and then tell us we'd be the wrong people to have it? Because I'm not part of your military, you know."

Roy allowed a chuckle. "Well, I know _that_ especially hearing all the havoc you've wreaked on this city." He paused. "But _I_ am."

The boy openly stared at him, and Roy relished in the look of pure confusion on the boy's face.

"What are you saying?" Ed grumbled when he couldn't figure out where the man was going with this.

Roy gave him a condescending look. "Elric, I thought as a prodigy you'd be more intuitive than this."

Ed didn't grace the man with a response other than to glare with his resurfacing fire.

"I can get the research for stem cells and any other related topics out of the library for you," Roy said plainly as if it was breaking his back to explain something so simple.

Alphonse gasped first. "Would you really do that for us?"

Edward stared. He tried to keep his face guarded but there was a glimmer of hope in his gold eyes. "Why would you do that?"

Roy hated to admit it, but that was probably the only way he could get the kid to begin to trust him. "Because it's my fault you're in this mess anyway. I never should have dragged you two into any of this, especially now knowing how much you already had on your plates." He blatantly left out that Ed had mentioned this several times; he had always thought the boy was just looking for a way out of helping the colonel. "I knew it was wrong but I did it anyway. Besides, you helped us bring the case to a close. The factory and its arsenal are gone, as well as the main conspirator, and we've been able to catch several of his underlings and bring them in for questioning. We've got enough information to close this case and say it'll never be an issue again. You both did your job, albeit it wasn't how I had _hoped_ , but I cannot let you leave with a clear conscious if I don't try to reward you."

The boys remained quiet, pensive. Ed studied the colonel as if deciding whether it was finally safe to trust him.

Roy almost smiled at the boy's futile attempt to remain his cautious and brooding self when there was so much desire and longing written across his face. Roy smirked instead and eyed the boy. "What did you call it, equivalent exchange?"

* * *

Edward was released after only a few days of recovery. His blatant dislike of everything having to do with the hospital and refusal to be taken care of when he was able to had probably influenced the doctor's decision. As helpful as the staff had been, they would most likely be relieved to see the bothersome boy leave.

Roy had come to see the Ed and his brother off. Not only because he needed to speak with the elder Elric, but because he also had a heavy stack of research to hand off.

The colonel deposited the large stack of handwritten notes and medical logs into the boy's eager hands with a stern look. "Just know these are _rented_. You cannot keep them out indefinitely. If you do, it will look bad for _me_."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed responded with an eye roll as he shifted to make his weight easier to carry. "Can't tarnish the good colonel's rep."

"Good. I'm glad we're finally seeing eye to eye." He glanced down at Ed with an eyebrow raised. "Even if you're still not at my eye level."

Ed's face immediately reddened, and Roy braced himself for the impending storm. Ed moved forward to yell in the colonel's face; the precariously stacked pile of research listed dangerously in his arms. Ed opened his mouth to yell at the man but Alphonse's voice quickly cut him off with a warning, "Brother, be careful with those."

Ed paused, mouth still open. He glanced at his brother on the bed then down at the stack in his hands then to the colonel once more, settling into a glare and nothing more. "Maybe I'll just keep these forever if you're going to keep saying crap like that."

"So where are you heading now?" Roy asked, completely ignoring the kid's threat. He had assumed the boys would be returning to their hometown in order to rebuild Al's temporary body. The materials might be harder to find but they had done it once so they could surely do it again; it was better than returning to their old lives as thieves, taking whatever Central had to offer. But a thought struck Roy as he watched Ed carefully place his brother's capsule on top of the stack. The Elrics would have to stay in the city f they wanted access to the research Roy could relay to them.

Ed seemed to realize this as well. In the end, he just shrugged. "Maybe here, maybe there, maybe, y'know…around."

Roy frowned. "I better not be seeing your mugshot in the paper tomorrow morning."

"Don't worry. We'll figure something out. We always do, right, Al?"

Roy cut in. "And that worked so well last time, didn't it, Edward?"

Ed blushed slightly and ducked his head.

"We won't be stealing anymore, sir, we promise," Alphonse answered.

"Good. I'm glad to hear that."

"Like I said," Ed looked up, "we'll figure it out. You don't have to worry about us anymore."

But that didn't stop the colonel from doing it anyway. Someone had to be looking after these kids; the fact that no one had before was how they ended up in this rut anyway. "You know, the dorm is still in your name," he said before he realized it.

Ed shook his head. "The case is done. There's no need for us to be involved now." He lifted up the stack slightly to show Roy. "We can't take more than we already deserve to be given."

Roy rubbed at the back of his neck. Under his breath, he said, "There are always more cases."

Ed heard the quiet words regardless and studied the man curiously.

Deliberately, Roy looked at the boy, holding his gaze. "I'm asking for your help and in return, you can have a place to stay. I'll need someone to consult if cases like this arise in the future. No more taking the case into your own hands, though. You will follow _all_ my orders and understand there is a good reason for each of them. In return, you have a place to stay, access to this research, and with each thing you help us with, we will repay you _legally_ with whatever parts you need. You're not part of the military, but we could use a mind like yours on some of the things we end up against. It would sure as hell make my job easier."

It was Ed's turn to smirk. His eyebrows raised playfully. "Is the military seriously that useless that you need a kid's help? How has this country survived before I came along?"

Roy shrugged. "I suppose we'll never know," he responded lightly, unsure he should be stroking the kid's ego like that. But he was sure he had the boy's approval now.

Still, Ed smiled. "Fine. We've got a deal, Colonel Bastard."

Roy rolled his eyes in a way that he could almost describe as _fond_. With a wry smile, he opened the door to allow the kid out, since his hands were full of the research he was eager to dig into. "I'm just as thrilled as you are, Fullmetal."

* * *

**[A/N: Thanks for reading if you made it this far! :D]**


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